Emerald Flame
by JumpingTheMoon
Summary: Book Two in my novelization and rewrite of SOAL, wherein Vyse and his companions search for the Red and Green Moon Crystals. Rated T for the usual, a la language, violence, sexual implications etc. This book is complete.
1. Necessity

**Skies Of Arcadia Legends**

**Book Two- Emerald Flame **

_By Jonathan Pelikan_

* * *

Chapter One- Necessity

The rock didn't just break, but actively flew apart, chunks of splintered material flying in many random directions. The Harpoon dove straight through it without even slowing down, then through another and another, lancing a dozen rocks into oblivion. The _Little Jack_ had been blasting through the Barrier Reefs for over an hour now, and they had a hole almost big enough to fly through broken in.

The fishing sloop was a relatively small, green-armored wooden ship with metal supports and braces. It flew no flag of nationality, but was equipped with four black 7' cannons and four secondary 4.5' blasters which worked fine for negotiations. On it's nose was it's new ultimate weapon, the Harpoon Cannon, which was currently in action. Squat maneuvering fins were placed all around the bottom hull, beating frantically in concert with it's old moonstone-fueled engines to keep then steadily afloat in the skies of Arcadia.

A girl in strange clothes stood on the deck, leaning out slightly to watch the demolition. She had long light-blonde hair that swayed gently in the breeze that rolled off the deck, a delicate and beautiful face with large, inquisitive and gentle green eyes, and pale skin. She was shapely, with a nearly perfect hourglass figure wrapped in a snow-white dress adorned with strange gold symbols. She had a mystical silver veil and white boots of the same sort, and a little silver creature floated near her shoulder quietly. She was a descendant, one of two surviving, of the ancient Silver Civilization, and her duty was to safeguard all of Arcadia from the cataclysm of ultimate war.

She had some help. "Hey, Fina." She heard an enthusiastic female voice from behind her, then saw out of her peripheral a girl sitting down on the deck rail. This girl was almost the same age as her, and was ten centimeters taller. Her flame-red hair matched her enthusiastic and fiery personality, and it was tied up in twin buns. She wasn't tanned, but her skin was darker than Fina's and her dark-chocolate eyes had seen more action and combat. She was also a beauty in a tight dress- hers was a short yellow sailors-uniform that was trimmed and modified to suit her purposes. To keep her from exposing too much, she wore small dark shorts under her dress.

"Aika," Fina replied with a warm smile. "These stone reefs are so big and expansive. We've been blasting at them so long, and we still can't quite fit through. I studied them on the Silver Moon, but when you're down here, looking at them…"

"Yeah," She agreed. "They're almost as bad as sky-rifts. Usually we just go around them…"

"Why not this time?" It puzzled Fina. She had heard of the South Dannel Straight, the only tenable break in the reefs that provided ships access to and from the desert continent of Nasr, which was their destination.

"The Nasr Armada has cordoned off the straight," She replied. "No ships in or out except those of Nasr. And they've got enough firepower to back up their threats."

"The most recent of Teodora's wars has left it's scars," Fina noted, glancing to the bridge, where both male members of her crew resided, directing the cannon and keeping the ship steady.

Vyse Dyne was an air pirate. In fact, he was son of the legendary Blue Storm, and grew up all his life learning the swashbuckling ways of his father. He was a childhood friend of Aika, and both of them had feelings for the teenager. His long, messy dark-brown hair sprawled around with no particular order, over a confident and trustworthy face. A skyglass covered one eye, to help him see better. He was lean, but muscular, like a dancer, with a lanky profile under his blue sailors' tunic. Leaning against the wheel he yawned. "Boring."

Vyse felt a hard impact against his spine- the preferred target of his Captain, and the owner of the _Little Jack_. Drachma was an old man, a portly fisherman with snow-white beard and hair, a real eyepatch over one eye, and an entire artificial arm. The arm was rusted steel plating over a flex-steel core with nerve-wires crisscrossing around the limb. His face, and all his skin, were leathery masks of wear and stress over his numerous years. The man was a veteran, and a survivor. He also was not very patient with his new crew. "Boy, I told you not to go drowsing off. If something unexpected were to happen to the Harpoon Cannon, I'd take it out of your pockets!" He rumbled angrily. "That's not all I'd take, neither."

He needed the Harpoon as part of his hunt of Rhaknam, a gigantic Arcwale that he had been searching for most of his adult life. His hatred of the whale was legendary, and the driving force behind nearly all of his actions. He had originally been convinced (read: _coerced_, in his opinion) to shuttle Aika and Vyse to Valua, where they rescued Fina and their pirate crew from the enemy's clutches because that was where they were selling the vital and powerful Harpoon Cannon.

"Yes sir," Vyse replied, trying to hide the annoyance in his voice. "Maybe you should go take a nap, sir."

"Ah. Now there's a good idea," The old man replied, and turned. "Once we've broken in, take us to the nearest Nasrian town. I believe it's called Maramba. And don't let them engines overhead once we're over the desert, or we'll be walking the rest of the way." With that he vanished below the decks of his ship.

Vyse sighed. "Aye." He went back to monitoring the dials, and pulled the firing lever on the Harpoon again. The ship shuddered ever so slightly, and the arrow-like weapon sprang forth from the bow. As he watched, he noticed Aika waving to him, and he waved back, big grin on his face.

For a while they sat like this. Neither girl bothered Vyse from his monotony, until finally they punched a sufficient aperture in the reef. "Finally," The boy groaned, mimicking dieing from boredom as the two girls walked onto the bridge.

Fina squeaked. "Are you ok, Vyse?"

Vyse chuckled. "I'm fine, Fina. Sorry my incredible acting scared you." He sat up just in time to see Drachma and Aika emerging from the stairs up onto the deck. "Uh-oh." He stood up quickly, standing at the wheel and intently being at attention, whistling in forced nonchalance. "Good thing I'm not snoozing, that I'm not slacking at all," He said.

Drachma huffed. "I'm not that bad. Just keeping you alert in strange skies."

Aika giggled. "Vyse, don't tease the Cap'n. He's only doing what he thinks is best. If what he thinks is best is to kick your ass all up and down the deck of the _Little Jack_, well then who are we to argue?"

Fina looked worried. "Oh, my…"

"Relax, Fina," Vyse advised. Drachma grumbled and motioned him forward. The young pirate replied, throttling up and feeling the wooden floor beneath him tremble under the power of the engines. "_Little Jack_, full speed ahead, to Maramba! And on, to victory!"

"Here's hoping," Aika added.

The ragtag band, brought together by fate, luck, and a series of epic events forming that they only had the most basic knowledge of. History collimated to a point behind them, and the future stretched out like an unfathomable cone, leading towards their cloaked destiny, somewhere over a distant horizon. Drachma had been recruited, reluctantly, into it. He planned to soon continue his journey, _sans_ teenagers.

_Is what I'm doing the right thing?_ The old man pondered to himself as they passed over smoldering deserts of red-hot sands as the sun and Red Moon hung side-by-side, two fiery orbs holding total dominion over the lands of Nasr. _I must do it, either way. They're slowing me down- I helped them already. They'll get along just fine without me._

0-0

Deserts are hot. Vyse, having been given a third-grade education, fully understood that. The sand caught heat, trapping it and warming itself up. The sun's constant beating down upon the land prevented most greenery from surviving, leaving their surfaces barren. Seemingly endless sands stretched for each direction to the horizon, and the _Little Jack_ was moving as quickly as the conditions allowed to get to civilization.

The conditions, of course, of the engine. They couldn't go even at their regular full speed without risking severe damage, because the heat was simply too much. Even with the coolant system Drachma had installed, someone had to constantly use magic or moonstones of purple and blue origin to cool them, like Aika and Fina had done to allow them to overcharge their engine in the escape from Valua.

Vyse was on coolant duty. Somehow he always found himself on the most menial tasks, and shoveling purple stones into a reactor certainly qualified as such. He lifted the shovel and overturned it, dumping another batch of the cool-magic objects into the very warm engine.

It was warm in the engine room, in fact any place below the decks was heating up. Vyse had removed his shirt, to cool himself off a little more. Fina entered the room quietly, but paused and blushed as she saw him. She started to speak but something caught in her throat. The sight of Vyse shirtless, his muscles rippling as he worked, rivulets of sweat working their way down his body…

_Noooooooo! Nooo noo! Bad Fina!_ The Silvite girl mentally berated herself, and looked up to see Vyse staring back to her, shovel at his side. "Fina? What's up?" He asked, wiping sweat from his forehead and sighing.

"Um… it's time for a shift-change," She said. "I'll take over now."

Vyse nodded, grabbing a water-bottle and taking a big swig of the liquid. The store they had bought the packs of water from told them that their labels had Blue Moon runes that would keep the water cool until the expiration date of the magic, which was incredibly convenient. It was the same technique they used to store meats and other perishables for their journeys.

He offered her the bottle with a friendly yet tired smile, and she accepted it, taking a short drink. _This is almost like I can taste his mouth…_ Vyse had already started up the stairs, and didn't notice when she very hastily tossed her energies into Purple Magic, filling the room with blinding lights and considerably lowering the temperature. The metal of the engine-cover groaned in protest, it's particles stretched and now suddenly compressed. _I'd better go easier next time,_ She thought. _That's really bad for the engine, but… I need something to distract me. A Silvite does not have the luxury of such thinking._

Not that she would know what to do about them anyway. Living on the Silver Moon for all of her life until about a month ago, her interaction with other human beings was literally non-existent. Besides the nearly-omnipotent Elders of the Silver Shrine and brief encounters with Ramirez, she had absolutely no one, and learned the language of Arcadia purely from books.

Ramirez. He was the other descendant, a lithe and quiet man with long blonde-white hair and deep, thoughtful eyes. He had always cared for her whenever the Elders could not, so when he vanished it was greatly stressing to Fina. Learning his fate was no relief- he was Vice Captain in the Valuan Armada.

He had also… changed, somehow, and for the worse. It was like his very heart had been encased in ice as strong as steel, his eyes taking on a sinister aspect and his voice becoming low and mournful. She didn't know what drove him to such things, but aimed to find out. It was a part of her mission- he had been sent before, but stopped contacting the Elders. Thus, they sent their backup plan. Her.

So now she took his place, searching for the six Moon Crystals that were the keys to weapons of mass destruction made by the Old World nations called Gigas. The Red Crystal rested somewhere in Nasr, although she didn't know where, and it was a very large continent.

Vyse emerged onto the bridge, to find Aika alone at the helm. She didn't hear him approach, and he took the opportunity to stealthily hug her from behind, snuggling his bare chest into her back. She tensed for a moment in surprise, and then relaxed into him.

"Hey," He mumbled into her ear with a sigh.

"Hey," She replied. It was warm on the bridge despite the air-coolant system that used the _Little Jack_'s own speed to shunt fresh air through vents on the ceiling, but she didn't mind the additional heat. No further words were exchanged for a while, and when Cupil poked her, Fina thanked the small silver nano-being, climbing up the steps. She spotted the two of them snuggling, and stifled a gasp.

She had a bad habit of nervously hovering on the edge of an event, wondering timidly weither to jump in or not. Neither of them noticed her for a while. The one who did detect her presence finally was, again, Vyse. "Fina." It was both a greeting and a warning to Aika. The redhead looked up, eyes half lidded, and smiled.

"Hey, Fina," She said. "How're you?"

"I'm ok," She said, looking anywhere but them. Seeing it was making Fina uncomfortable, Vyse detached himself from his childhood friend, to her disappointment.

"Are you sure?" He asked, genuinely concerned. "Is it because…" He trailed off, although it was painfully obvious what his question was. _Is it because me and Aika can be so close so easily for each other? Is it because you're just a little jealous_?

"I don't know," He replied. That was the truth, surely enough. She had no idea about the emotions that surged through her. She felt a deep connection to both of them, but was so inexperienced and timid, and her lack of knowledge or assurance only kept her more cowardly.

"You didn't get a lot of human experience, did you?" Aika asked, abandoning the helm altogether for the moment. Moving in a straight line required no skill whatsoever, and her friend was troubled. "Besides that Ramirez guy." Fina shook her head. "Well we could help with that problem, if you'd let us."

"Help, like how?" She tried not to sound too hopeful.

Vyse shrugged. "We could gradually get you more comfortable with being around us, and then, you know, work from there. Anything can be overcome if we work together at it." Never-failing optimism, or at least the appearance of so was a powerful tool.

"I would… like that," Fina replied, nodding. "Thank you both very much. For everything."

"Oy, she's thanking us again, Aika," Vyse said in a tone of parental exasperation. Aika shook her head and clicked reprovingly. "Maybe we ought to teach her how evil us air pirates truly are."

"That's a fabulous idea," Aika said, doing a passable Classic Evil Laugh. Fina looked between them, slightly worried. They both sprang at her, capturing her and holding her down. She tried to escape, but Vyse pinned her arms with his own strong hands and used his weight to press down her legs, careful not to hurt her in the process.

Aika began to tickle her. She screamed and giggled, squirming madly and giving Vyse the devil's own time keeping her on the deck. Cupil squeaked, alarmed, but did not intervene.

Drachma emerged onto the bridge, and saw the three teenagers in this position. They spotted him, and all movement stopped in the room for a solid ten seconds. The silence was palpable. Finally the old man shook his head, and plodded back down the steps, never saying a word.

"I think we scared him off," Vyse noted, allowing himself to collapse onto the floor backwards, laughing.

Aika followed his lead, sitting down next to their victim and smirking. Fina's face was totally red and she frowned. "You two… that was mean of you." Clearly the Silvite girl was very embarrassed, even if a small part of her told her she shouldn't be.

"Did we go too far?" Vyse wondered aloud.

"That's the definition of 'pirate'. Going too far. The reason you know you're a Blue Rogue is if you stop for a moment to ask that." She smiled. "Sorry, Fina, but that's one way to help you. Heh. We should do it more often."

"No," She objected. "Urg, you two!" Inside, her head was still a whir. _Aika and Vyse touched me… a lot. And I enjoyed it_… She had some thinking to do.

0-0

Nasr was a very large landmass, possibly the largest on Arcadia. However, the lack of reliable cartography meant that the sizes of Valua and Nasr were both unknown. Both Empress Teodora, ruler of the Valuan Empire, and the Nasultan, leader of the Nasr Kingdom, felt that an accurate mapping of their lands beyond guesswork would be a dangerous secret. Besides, their uninviting, even deadly, environments precluded almost anyone from attempting to circumnavigate their lands.

A speck appeared in the shimmering sand dunes and billowing clouds of dust, and Vyse, who was now at the helm, zoomed in on it. The township of Maramba was likely a town founded recently- possibly a naval stopover established by Nasr. It was positioned near the edge of the continent, and so it had spacious docks for it's size. About 70 buildings populated both halves of the city, that were separated by a small expanse of scorching sand. It had no particularly distinguishing features, but that wasn't of much concern. He was just happy to be seeing it.

"Aika," He said, turning to the redhead standing on the bridge. "Maramba sighted, 4:11 PM. Go get the crabby old man." She nodded an affirmative, scribbling it into the ship's log. "Oh, and Drachma too." Aika giggled, jogging off down the stairs.

"Crabby old man, reporting for duty." As Fina bowed, her face slightly red, the pirates exchanged significant glances.

"Fina, did you just crack wise?" Vyse crossed his arms in front of his now-clothed chest.

"I'm sorry, didn't I do it right?" She asked concernedly, still looking down.

"No, you did it ok, but it's just… a surprise to us," Aika admitted. "I mean, you're not really the rip-roaring type of person to me, Fina." _Neither is he_, she thought with a silent chuckle as the hulking form of Drachma emerged onto the deck.

"Alright, you three scout ahead into the town. I got something to take care of, and I'll catch up with yeh," Drachma commanded.

Vyse gave him the thumbs-up and grinned. "Yes, sir! C'mon, girls." The three adventurers grabbed their weapons before going out onto the open deck.

Vyse's armament of choice was his stalwart twin Pirate Cutlasses. Both of the blades had a large and broad point that slowly tapered down to the iron padded grip at the end. They were both approximately a meter in length. Unlike a rapier, which was wire-thin and designed for artistic displays of swordsmanship, the cutlass was made for big brutal striking power and range, which were valued amongst pirates. The material used for them was a semi-transparent steel laced with conducting alloys like aluminum. Depending on the moonstone that was placed in the hilt of the sword, it was enchanted differently and the sword changed colors accordingly.

His father had given him the first of the blades, forged before he was born, that he held in his off-hand and usually employed in a defensive stance, while he made his own second cutlass. His own blade was larger and wider, and was employed for attack in his main hand. The holsters were black leather that were attached to a metal-strapped belt that he grabbed and clipped to his waist.

Aika's weapon was far more unconventional. Forged of pure crystal lattice that was actually stronger than any known metal, it was a moonstone-enchanted boomerang, which was almost as tall as she was. Because of it's aerodynamic design and the enchantment runes carved into the wood-paneled hilt, it could always be depended on to return to it's user's hand after an attack. It was also one of the manners that Aika channeled her willpower through to make her Special Attacks, and seemed to enhance her magic as well. She slung it across her back in a leather sheath and followed him and Fina.

Fina's weapon was with her at all times anyway. As her familiar, Cupil shared a deep psychic bond with her, and she commanded him in battle. Cupil had the ability to morph into almost any shape, and could use himself to physically attack enemies while suffering no ill effects. Right now, he could only assume his regular shape and batter into enemies with blunt force, but the Elders had told her that as he gained experience in combat, he would learn forms that could do more damage and move quicker.

She was also the most adept of the three, magically, and had a wide range of spells. She even knew Silver Magic, which was very rare for Arcadians. The Silver Moon regulated life and death, and she knew a spell to restore a creature to full health, to resurrect someone back from the very brink of death…

And she also knew a spell that, if uttered, would instantly and totally kill a living thing at her command. It was Eterni, the spell Dyne the Blue Rogue used to execute his anointed Executioner in Valua during their rescue attempt. She hoped never to have to use it, but a part of her mind told her better. Their survival might one day hinge on it.

An unpleasant necessity. Drachma sighed, turning to look at the three teenagers as they stepped off onto the docks. Once they were clear, he pulled up the boarding ramp with haste, jogged into the bridge and fired up the engines once more.

Vyse grinned as he looked out over the dusty docks. "Not much to look at, huh? But the buildings and people sure do look strange here."

Aika rolled her eyes. "Vyse, we're 3000 kilometers from home. Of course the people look strange to us. Hell, Fina's from another planet. You're probably the weirdest thing in the world to the poor girl."

Fina giggled, putting a hand to her mouth to stifle it. "Oh, my. Well, I wouldn't say that…"

"Good to hear," Vyse replied, glancing at her. Then he noticed something. It was very odd, and alarming enough for him to cry out as it happened.

_Little Jack_ slid away from the docks, turning out towards the desert again. Drachma was at the helm, and soon the small fishing ship set out across the horizon, skipping away powered by it's small fins and sails. He pointed, and the girls turned, watching the green frigate get smaller and smaller to their perspective.

They were stranded in Maramba.


	2. The Exotic Dancer

Chapter Two- The Exotic Dancer

At first, the heat of a Nasr daytime could be ignored. But as the subjects spend more time there, especially if they are air pirates or Silvites who are acclimated to lower temperatures, it becomes much more oppressive. The effects of this climate were already starting to wear on Vyse, who slammed his fist into the stone wall of the building angrily.

"God damnit! Why?" He demanded, sighing as his fist throbbed dully. _Rock beats flesh_, he decided, withdrawing his hand and hissing. "Why the hell would he do that? I thought he trusted us, that damn old fool. I thought… he was going to be good to his word…"

"I don't know," Aika said, still more stunned than alarmed. She looked over at Fina, who was slightly more panicked than usual. "Hey, relax. It's not an immediate problem, right?"

"What?" Vyse asked, looking over to the girls.

"I mean, we were gonna explore around here anyway," She reasoned, trying to remain calm. "You know, look for leads on the Red Crystal. And we can find some lodgings. Look at all these ships- I'm sure some captain will be willing to lend us a ride when we do get going. We'll get along without that old ass." Inside, she was partially rattled from this as well. _I wonder why the sudden change, as well_.

Vyse sighed and nodded quietly, contenting himself to wishing a volume of unpleasant fates involving fish on the old man who had left them. "Alright. Let's go."

A set of large stone steps connected the docks with the actual town. They were surprisingly well-maintained, the white marble nearly spotless. This was admirable when sand and grit covered everything every few minutes. The town itself had no streets or pavement, but the sand underfoot was cooled by a series of blue moonstones buried at even lengths, allowing comfortable travel over it.

Vyse sighed, looking around. The buildings were climate-controlled, Nasr technology using the heat of the air to power turbines that blew the air-conditioning fans. Foreign symbols were everywhere, in Nasrian, but helpful translations were scribbled under each. They were in Valuan, the common tongue of over 70 per cent of Arcadia.

The citizens of Maramba presented a cross-section of colonial societies everywhere- young and hardy people that managed to eke out their living amongst the torrential storms and hardly-survivable heats of the continent. They dressed in robes and other loose, light-colored clothing, that covered as much skin as possible. Practical- even their dark and tanned skins could burn in a handful of hours.

The entire area seemed the antithesis of Valua- the people seemed in a collective good cheer, and their entire township was civic-minded, working together against hardships. They also employed organic pack-animals instead of metallic movers- the Dhabu.

A Dhabu was a very strange and intimidating sight to people that were not of Nasr. Easily as tall as the buildings around it, it was a two-legged animal that stood upright, appearing hunched on it's powerful hind legs. It's forearms were smaller by half. It had a long tail and pinkish skin, and put Vyse in mind of some books his father had showed him years ago of ancient lizards that were rumored to have roamed the islands of Arcadia.

The three teenagers stared in awe for several seconds as one of the extraordinary animals lumbered by. The ground shivered slightly at it's passing due to it's considerable bulk. It was herded by two Nasrian men that held large leather leashes that were attached around it's long neck.

"Wow," Fina managed. "This place is… strange."

"Told you," Vyse said. "Alright, I vote we get some lodging for the night first. At this time of day at least one Inn has to have some rooms available…" He pointed to a hanging billboard over one of the three-story structures. "There. The Ioun Stone Inn… I wonder what an Ioun Stone is, anyway."

"Probably something foreign," Aika dismissed, jogging ahead. The slight physical activity was starting to tire her, despite her severe conditioning- the climate overwhelmed all.

"Welcome," The innkeeper called out as they entered the door and closed it behind them. Cool air rushed over them like a cleansing wind, and they all enjoyed the wonderful sensation for a moment, seeming to ignore her heavily-accented greeting. She was probably used to this from travelers, as she simply chuckled knowingly. "You are sailors, no?"

"Yes," Vyse replied, failing to mention they had no ship at the moment to sail. "Do you have any rooms available?"

The middle-aged woman nodded idly. "Seventy _rhira_." Although the simple gold coin was nearly universally accepted currency, other local monies also sometimes appeared. Much of Nasr used the _rhira_.

The exchange rate was that 2.5 Gold was about the same as a _rhira_. That would set Vyse back a lot. He groaned. _Well, this is literally the middle of the desert. Monopoly breeds extortion._ He took out his coin-purse where the party had stored the various loot they'd happened across… but his hand met with air.

He didn't have his money. _Shit_. "Um… uh-oh."

"What is it, Vyse?" Aika asked. Then she remembered, and gasped. "I put the money in the _Little Jack_'s storage bay for safekeeping, and forgot to… get it… out." The pirate paused for a moment. "Whoops."

"Whoops indeed," Vyse said flatly. "Um… maybe we can work something out, ma'am?"

"Hm," She grunted, pondering for a few moments. _These kids look like they're in good shape. I could get some work out of them, even in this heat_. "Work as my assistants for a few hours and I'll give you room and board for a day. Is this a deal?"

The prospect of manual labor in Nasr heat was unappealing. Having no place to sleep except the hot sand was more unappealing, and they all quickly agreed.

The innkeeper set each to work- Aika sweeping the floors, Vyse out on the roof fixing a couple of broken panels and windows, and Fina manning the receptionist desk. At first the pounding sun created a near-literal hell for the young teenager in blue, but he slowly began to acclimate.

_Moons_, he thought, replacing the last of four panes in the final broken window. _Did some little vandal come by and start smashing glass?_

"Come back in," The innkeeper called out. "That's enough for now. I'll send one of the girls up to finish it, staying out in this heat is bad for your skin." So she had human decency. A good sign, however Vyse bitterly reminded himself that he had thought that about Drachma as well. _Look how that turned out._

As they passed in the hallway, Aika shot him a glare, as if to say, _You're directly responsible for me having to go out in this heat again. Therefore, I am going to envision a variety of tortures and painful actions to perform upon you._

Vyse smiled nervously, mindful of her epic temper, and quickly made his way down to the lobby. When he got there, he approached the desk, where Fina was greeting a dusty old man. "Hey. I'll take over here," He said, grinning confidently. The Silvite girl nodded quietly, allowing him to stand behind the desk.

Despite his tendency for flare, outgoing personality, and loathing of any kind of paperwork or order, he made a fairly decent attendant, and managed not to give out too many wrong room keys.

The innkeeper again approached him, nodding. "Alright. You've done your share for the day, methinks." She handed him several of the gleaming coins, each one carved with the likeness of historical Nasultans. "Here's a little bit extra, seeing as how you were all so helpful." She chuckled. "If you would like to stay another night, I could always use the extra hands…"

Vyse nodded. "Thank you kindly, ma'am, but we're hoping to have a ship by then." _Not to mention a course… _"Say, do you know any place in town where people gather? Like a tavern?" He stomach grumbled, and he added in afterthought, "Oh, and someplace where I can get something to eat?"

She nodded. "Maramba has one all-purpose tavern and diner, with relatively cheap rates. It's on the other side of town, and you need to rent a Dhabu to cross to it by land unless you want to burn your feet off. I hear they hired a new dancer there, as well."

Aika and Fina emerged from the stone stairwell at the same time, and Fina asked, "A dancer?"

"Yes," The innkeeper replied. "A real crowd pleaser- the owner of the tavern is a friend of mine, and he tells me that she's been the best thing for business since blue moonstone water enchantment."

"We should check it out," Vyse said, thoroughly enthused. Seeing Aika's look, he raised his hands in surrender. "Only for the food, of course."

"Of course," Echoed the flame-haired Blue Rogue in a tone with no hint of belief. She smirked slightly and tacked on, "And the pretty Nasr girl shaking what her mother gave her, since I know you get off on-"

"Let's go," Vyse interjected in a forced-loud tone, and found it much easier to go out into the heat of Maramba's open air. Aika, laughing, followed, with the timid Fina in the rear of their group. They crossed the small town with speed, each person very hungry.

From the sky, the divide between the two halves of the town looked small- like a canal of burning sand intersecting the buildings. Groundside perspective and Vyse's rangefinder on his skyglass told him it was bordering on a hundred meters to the other side. The view of the buildings shimmered from the extreme heat, so it was difficult to get a perfect range. "Well, it can't be that bad." He opened the gate to the wooden fence that walled in the small town, and took a single step forward.

He recoiled in pain a fraction of a second later, heat nerves all down his foot overloaded. It was such that he burnt himself even through his stalwart sailors' boot. "Ow," He objected, sighing. "I'm not walking through that."

Aika giggled. "I was about to test the sand, but thanks for being a dummy for us. Let's rent out a Dhabu." She pointed to a nearby spire, that wound a ramp up to a platform near a Dhabu that was sitting, riding saddle and instruments over it's enormous back. A portly middle-aged man in classic Nasr robes attended the creature, along with three more at three adjacent towers. The animals seemed quite tame and domesticated despite their enormous stature.

"Good idea," Vyse said dully, and Fina giggled a little. She stopped when she received the closest thing to a glare he had ever sent her way.

"Ah, you want to rent three, then?" The handler wasted no time making his sale. "Only way across the sand. Well, only way that involves keeping your feet their original color."

"How much?" Vyse asked. "We're kind of on a budget, here."

"For three, that would be nine _rhira_."

"We have enough," The teenager sighed in relief. "But… only twelve. Um, unless I have a severe math deficiency, that would mean we don't have enough for the return trip, much less meals for all of us."

"Return?" The Nasrian man chuckled. "No, my good boy. A rental is round-trip. My business is honest and fair- we don't bleed the people more than we need to get by."

"Um…" Fina spoke up, "Maybe… we could preserve money by, um… riding together on a single Dhabu?" She cupped her hands together timidly and looked down.

"Good idea," Aika agreed. _I'm surprised, Fina. I didn't think you would want to do such a thing… but who could blame her? I am a goddess, and Vyse isn't short of beauty either._ "Unless Vyse is going to be perverted."

Vyse flushed, and surprisingly it had nothing to do with the heat. "Me? Perverted? You're the one who's always suggesting these types of things…" They squabbled for a little bit, a half-serious argument in the middle of the sun. The dealer watched their youthful energies expend themselves with good cheer, and when they finally wound down their latest clash of words, he offered to help them onto their Dhabu.

"It can be a little tricky," He said, walking up the ramp with the three air pirates in tow.

"Like getting Aika to shut up," Vyse mumbled, obviously malcontented. Aika looked over with a smirk, and his frown only deepened itself. Fina barely suppressed another fit of giggles and looked over to the very large pink creature next to them.

"They are very obedient animals, though. Pull in the reigns to stop them, otherwise just let the line slacken and they'll start going once you're mounted," The dealer said. "Trained since birth for it. Unfailing. They will take you safely across the desert- our town convoys always use these creatures when moving over the sands."

"Thank you, sir," Vyse said, depositing the three coins for a single creature into the man's waiting hand. "Moons watch over you."

"May the Red Moon protect you," He said with a smile. "Everyone in Nasr prays for you, Vyse the Admired. Continue to wreck the Valuans' plans, and you'll always have friends in Maramba." Although he was slightly startled, he was jolted back into attention by the steady, rhythmic movements of the Dhabu under him. Vyse was in the middle, with Fina riding behind him and Aika in front.

Being a group of hormonal teenagers in a confined group, they all enjoyed the ride, especially once they got over the motion. Fina sighed, slumping forward and relaxing into Vyse. Even after her ordeal in Valua, she was a fairly delicate girl, and was already fairly drained of energy. He smiled and supported her dutifully, his arms wrapped around Aika's waist.

The trip was over too quickly. The Dhabu, guided probably by pure muscle memory and conditioning, headed straight for the pylon through the gates. Vyse and Aika pulled back the reigns gently, and the pink creature stomped to a halt.

"Perfect parking," Aika said, reluctantly climbing onto the platform and out of Vyse's arms. "Airships and ground creatures alike, I am the ultimate pilot."

Vyse snorted. "I'm sorry, what was that? Your swollen head is absorbing all the sound when you talk." He helped Fina up first, then leapt energetically to the platform himself, landing in a small cloud of dust. It was probably regularly cleaned, but desert travel could never be truly purified.

"Oh really?" Aika asked with a catlike grin. "Well, I'm pretty sure that was _your_ swollen head I felt in the small of my back on the way over here…"

Vyse turned redder than the sands and scowled. "You should be so lucky." The other side of town held several stores, including an armory, weapon-smith, and apothecary. If they weren't chokingly short of available monies, they might have visited their wares and gotten some upgrades to their equipment.

The tavern was easy to spot. It was a prominent building, with the universal food-and-drink sign hanging off the stony side. They entered it, again appreciating the wave of arctic relief that flooded their senses.

There were no tables or stools- Nasrians sat while they ate, and instead numerous cushions held a variety of clientele. Rowdy sailing crews chatted with each other about new plunder or navigational intricacies while at the same time directly bawdy comments and suggestions to the dancer, who of course, ignored it. They were paying customers, after all. The room was designed to allow everyone to see the stage, where all attention was centered.

The dancer herself had rich red hair, tied back in a ponytail but with long wavy bangs that swayed over her mysterious half-lidded green eyes. Her mouth and nose were hidden by a semi-transparent purple veil. Purple was also the color of her outfit: a short tunic in an x-shape that covered most of her chest but nothing else, and tight long pants. Her skin was the traditional color of Nasrians. She was plying her trade, in a hypnotic and alluring series of dances. When Vyse looked over at her, he could swear she sent several glances towards him.

"Good day," The tavern keep said sociably. "Sailors in to port, eh?"

"You could say that," Aika replied, nodding her head affirmatively with a slightly pained smile that looked more like a grimace.

"What would you like?" The man offered the air pirates plastic-laminated parchment menus. Although it was mainly in Nasrian, Valuan translations for everything were scribbled into the margins. The foods were, like everything else around them, new and exotic. Magnified pictures of steaming masses of calories caused the hunger-stricken teens to salivate, although Fina managed not to drool too much.

Vyse tossed his money onto the counter. The oval _rhira_ barely hit the wood before the barkeep swept them up into his hands. "Everything this will buy, please."

"As you will," He replied. "Please, pull up a mattress somewhere and enjoy the show while we make your meal- your order number is 482." All three of them committed that number to memory, and they sought out an empty place to sit. There were only two places- one was near the middle of the room, and they partially fell down. A small, squat board was in the middle of the mattresses. For now it only held complimentary bottles of ketchup and hot sauce, and packets of salt and sugar.

They took the time to watch the dancer- her graceful and dexterous movements captivated everyone, keeping the overall volume level in the tavern and restaurant low. She was fully aware of this, and spotted several people who caught her interest. _I've been looking for you for a while, handsome…_

Vyse couldn't shake the feeling that this creature of beauty was looking at him- every so often he would catch a glint of her eyes as she seemingly randomly looked to him in the middle of her routines. He felt more than a little flattered by this, and was already paying little attention to the conversation that Aika and Fina had started up.

"… right, Vyse?" Aika said, glancing idly to the male, who was staring resolutely at the dancer. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Vyse." He still exhibited no reply. "… Moons damnit." She knelt and leaned in front of him, physically blocking his view. "Vyse!"

"Ah," Vyse said, starting in surprise. "Um, what is it, Aika?"

"You're acting like you've never seen a woman before," She huffed indignantly, eyes narrowed. "We'd better hope your drool isn't for the dancer and not the food."

Vyse chuckled nervously. "Aika, she's making a hard day's work. The least I could do is pay her the courtesy of watching her dance." It was a thinly veiled rationale, especially to a redheaded pirate who was developing a slight case of jealous resentment.

"You were zooming in, weren't you," She said, her voice quiet and low.

"What?!" He frowned. "Aika, I wouldn't do something like that." _Besides, I've been having a few problems with the skyglass ever since I got it serviced on Sailor's Island before we arrived. Maybe I'll need to have a chat with the optometrist._

"Yes you would," Aika said succinctly, sitting back down onto her mattress.

"Hey, she's looking at me too," He shot back. "Every couple of seconds she sends her gaze this way, right to me. I think she's interested." Aika's opinion was that it was all a trick of his imagination mixed with a little typical male ego.

She giggled. "Right. I believe you. Come on, Vyse. You can do better; you have us. Plus, you don't know where she's been. You'd probably get a disease just by porking off to her-" She trailed off because both the near-silent Fina and Vyse were looking to a point just over her shoulder and she sighed. "She's right behind me, isn't she." They both nodded.

"Considering I'm older and more mature than you," She said in perfect Valuan, "I've been to quite a few more places."

"Um…" Aika faltered, looking over and seeing that she was indeed near. "Err… so, you travel a lot?" She looked down again, trying not to stare at her herself. Her aroma enveloped her, and it was harder to focus.

"Indeed. And I hear a great many things. Including a story about some Air Pirates that miraculously escaped the Valuan Grand Fortress about two weeks ago." She pulled up a fourth mattress and perched there, mysterious smirk on her visible features. "That wouldn't be you three, by any stroke of fate, would it?"

Vyse quietly and slowly reached for one of his holstered Cutlasses, out of sight. "How much interest do you have in that, I wonder."

"You can relax, handsome. Nasrians aren't very fond of honoring Valuan Death Marks. In any case, I also heard that these same escapees became most unfortunately stranded within our fair city, and are looking for a ride."

_Handsome, eh?_ "Well, if not for a small bounty, what's your angle?"

"No angle. I was just wondering if you could make use of some help. You need a ride, yes? I happen to find myself in possession of a galleon from time to time."

Fina smiled brightly. "You would… help us?"

"Of course. I am Bellena, and anyone who can escape the grand Fortress is of great interest to me." She smiled, her eyes focused on Vyse's. The young man flushed at this attention, and she smirked like a cat that has just caught a bird. "Why have you come to this land of sand and sun?"

"We're searching," Aika replied, trying to steel her own resolve. "For something of great value."

"Oh? Perhaps you wish to find… the Temple of Pyrynn?" She suggested. Fina gasped. Although the Elders did not know the exact location of the Red Crystal, they had specifically mentioned the ancient Temple as a very likely place to search. It was a relic of the Red Civilization of the Old World, somehow preserved amongst the sands of the desert and the sands of time. "I'll take that as a yes. Do you want me to take you there?"

"Wait," Aika said, and was about to object. There was no perceivable way for her to gain by helping them, and she prepared to voice her doubts. Her training as an air pirate had taught her Dyne's theory of trust- it had to be earned.

Vyse interjected. "Relax, Aika. Bellena, we will gladly accept any help you can give us." He smiled, trying to hide the slight blush as she slid closer to him.

"Alright," The dancer replied, standing up with a wink. "Meet me tomorrow at noon at the city docks. Don't keep me waiting, handsome." With that she blew him a kiss and returned to the stage to continue dancing. This went over rather well with the other assorted patrons of the establishment, who cheered rowdily for the exotic performer.

Vyse sighed happily. "Man, we're in some serious luck. First the inn and now this."

Fina nodded in agreement. "We should be thankful for our good fortune. Nasrians seem to be quite apt to helping us because of their… feelings about Valua." _The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as the old adage goes._

Aika disagreed. "I don't trust her. Guys, this is very suspicious." Their meal number was soon rung up, and two hired servants carried out trays of food for them. Each of them were extremely hungry, and the two air pirates attacked their food viscously, devouring it like they had never before had food. Fina, as usual, delicately took small bites each time and with the utmost neatness and quiet. "Like ah was sayin," Aika said, mouth full of meat, "Shaint notin two gayn frowm tis."

"Some people are just nice, Aika," Vyse said, at least having the basic decency to swallow his food before picking up the topic. "We aren't the only heroes in the world, you know."

"This is dangerous, though," Aika objected further as she swallowed loudly. "… but I guess we don't have a choice. Alright, you two win. But I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on her. And I think you are too." Vyse went a little bit red again.

"Not that again," He objected.

"Defensive, eh? That can only mean it's true," She said with a predatory grin, chugging her glass of loqua in a single drink.

"You were more than a little interested with her, yourself!" Vyse retorted, chuckling. "Ask Fina. All you could do to not tackle her and start making out. Fina?" Both of the air pirates looked to Fina, who only shrugged nervously.

"She-she seemed distracted," The Silvite admitted very quietly.

Aika was now the one on the defensive. "Only because I didn't trust her motives, and also because Vyse was having bad thoughts about her when he should be focusing on _us_."

"Finally got that mind-reading spell up and working, huh," Vyse said dryly.

"How about I get my boot up and working your face, huh?!" They fell into a bickering spectacle again. Fina sighed and went back to slowly eating her meal, attempting with all her willpower to ignore her friends. _The heat makes people crazy. Not that these two needed an excuse to go at it._


	3. Information

Chapter Three- Information

The night was cool, even chilly in the skies of Arcadia. The fishing sloop _Little Jack_, whose crew had recently experienced a severe reduction, hovered nearly stationary in front of the expansive Barrier Reefs, on the side of the desert continent Nasr. The masses of rocks had formed by some magnetic fields that the planet created, and thus whenever someone drilled a hole in them, as the ship had done the same day, more rocks quickly filled the gap. Drachma was unable to locate their point of entry; already it had completely repaired.

There was nothing for it but to begin again. He nursed the controls of the ship, feeling the rumbling rhythm of the deckplates shift slightly whenever the mighty Harpoon Gun sped out of it's sheath and into another set of boulder-sized obstacles.

The old fisherman heaved another sigh, shaking his head. He was feeling guilty about his decision to for all purposes strand a group of teenagers in a foreign country without even telling them why. The memory that he had made sure they all took their weapons off the ship before he set off was little consolation, as they had abandoned most of their potions and containers, along with all of their gold reserves.

_I can't just go back to em now… they'll never accept me again. I betrayed em, just like I thought they would do to me._

_Why not? The boy's forgiving enough, and so is that Silvite girl. Aika might try something, but she'll cool down with enough time._

_They'll still slow me down, even more now, on my quest._

_I must always follow the quest- I must always hunt Rhaknam. It's who I am, it's everything I stand for or do anymore. I must kill that Arcwale, in the name of those who have been claimed by the evil beast._

_Then have I truly become vengeance, the incarnation of wrath and hatred?_

_I guess I always was. Let the pursuit continue._ He realized that there now existed a fairly sizable hole in the massive sheets of stone, and therefore the old man had been lost in thought for some time. He reeled in the harpoon for the last time and goosed the throttle, gently slipping through the hole and back into Mid Ocean sky.

He didn't notice a disturbance in the air off the starboard bow of the ship- a barely visible flicker in the night as a completely cloaked Valuan light transport vessel passed within meters of the fishing frigate. With a dozen mages constantly working with their most vehement magics, a powerful invisibility spell hid the entire 70-meter long box-shaped ship.

Sergeant Abrams warily watched the ship, ready to order the attack to his men if the crew of the green sloop showed any sign of detecting them. Fortunately, no life even seemed on the ship, and they passed without incident- one going out of Nasr, one going in. They were both on the hunt.

The non-commissioned officer and highest ranking soldier of the Valuan 2nd Light Commando Squadron turned to the helmsman next to him. "Petty Officer, mark your course north-northwest at full speed. We must have haste."

"Full speed," The sailor acknowledged, pulling up the throttle and feeling the ship accelerate through the chilled air of a desert sleeping. They flew nearly parallel the towering line of rocks that were now in the distance, slowly going deeper up into the very belly of the enemy.

Admiral Belleza would be very pleased with his performance in their special operation.

0-0

The sun rose early over the desert town. Many of the people of Maramba awoke at this time to begin their daily chores that maintained the oasis of civilization on the precipice of the sands. In the Ioun Stone Inn, one of the complimentary services to all guests was to send a servant around knocking on each door at sunrise, as well as preparing a full-spread breakfast in the main lobby for all who wanted it.

The two air pirates were asleep like rocks, despite the noise outside. The Silvite girl was less resilient, and awoke slowly, yawning delicately and opening her eyes. Her first sight was the side of Vyse's face, his long and unruly hair even more disheveled than usual. _Oh, my…_ this startled her, and she tried to sit up, only to find that Aika was snuggling into her from behind and Vyse was hugging both of them in his sleep. They were wrapped up tightly into each other.

She turned a shade of crimson usually reserved for Vyse after being taunted with yet another of Aika's. She felt both of her friends, pressed against her. Their heat warmed her to the core, despite the lingering chill of a desert night.

_When Vyse suggested that he could get me acclimated to contact… I didn't expect this_, She thought. _There's no way to get out without waking them up… I guess I'll just have to bear it._ She was quite comfortable, in fact. _How will I ever survive_, she wondered to herself wryly, leaning her head back down onto the pillow.

Vyse himself was also awake, but pretended to be asleep. He was enjoying this feeling as well, knowing that they probably wouldn't get much sleep like this for a while. Just the three of them, together on solid ground in a comfortable bed… it almost made him wish he could just quit. But that wouldn't do at all, because he always saw everything through to it's end. _Plus, there's that little matter of the fate of all life on Arcadia_. He grinned to himself.

After a while he summoned up the raw will to sit up. He was on a side, unlike Fina, and managed to move delicately enough not to disturb either girl. Silently, he went into the bathroom and got cleaned up, enjoying a quick shower.

Aika was the last one to awake, and he found Vyse already missing- she was still cuddling with the Silvite girl. The sound of running water from the bathroom told her that her lifelong friend was showering, due to Nasrian hygiene technology, which was bounds ahead of the Mid Oceans and rivaled Valua's.

Wearing a wicked smirk, she also got to her feet, making her way to the door. It was ajar slightly, and if she knelt back just right she might be able to see within the curtain. _Hot naked Vyse is a win for me… _She hesitated a moment_. Wait, this isn't right. I shouldn't just peep on him like this… I mean, he would never peep on me. I should just get dressed_. Not knowing weather to feel like she'd missed something grand or done something heroic, she undressed next to the bed and pulled on a fresh outfit.

As she finished with her glove, she heard a cute yawn from behind her, and she spoke up. "Morning, Fina."

"Good morn," She replied, sitting up. "Erm… about how we were sleeping…" Although she admitted that she liked it, she couldn't quite remember how she had come to be in the bed. That was a bad sign.

"Oh, did you want to be on a side?" She asked idly, turning to face her.

"No. I just mean… um… that doesn't seem like something I would agree to."

"Oh, yeah. That. Well, you were a little squeamish about it, but a little bit of loqua is surprisingly handy for getting you in a more cuddly mood." She giggled. "You really can't handle that juice very well."

"Oh my," She said, putting a hand to her mouth nervously. Then she frowned. "Wait, you two got me drunk?"

"Not drunk, just a little muscle relaxant," Aika explained smoothly. "Besides, you agreed to it."

"After I was drunk?"

"… uh yeah." Suddenly the redhead felt a little worse about their comfortable arrangement. "Erm… look, I'm sorry Fina. It was my idea to begin with, and we shouldn't have forced you into this if you're not comfortable-"

"… that's alright," Fina admitted, cutting into her apology nearly silently.

_Score two for physical contact_, she thought victoriously. _We'll corrupt her into a morally degraded fool like me and Vyse yet! You just wait and see._ She balled a fist and chuckled evilly. Fina tilted her head, curiously looking at her friend. _And then she'll be ours!_ Aika paused for a moment, then smiled nervously. _Maybe a little too over the top._

The water stream tapered down as the faucet's mechanisms kicked in, and within moments silence fell over the marble shower, in which Vyse stood, very wet and feeling cleaner than he had since entering Maramba.

"Vyse," Aika's voice floated in from the cracked door, "I noticed you forgot to take some towels, so I left something for you in the closet."

"Thanks," He acknowledged, his groggy voice echoing in the small confines of the washroom. "Hey, wait… how did you see that? Were you trying to peep on me while I was showering?"

There was a pause. "Of course not," The redhead replied, barely containing her laughter.

"Riiight," Vyse chuckled, taking the towels and efficiently drying himself off. His hair was getting slightly longer, but he didn't mind that at all. It made him look more experienced. He combed it down a little and lightly applied some kind of gel product which was purported to stop the ill effects to hair of the Nasr climate.

A thought occurred to him now, which had not before. _I don't have any spare clothing… _Aika had carried a spare outfit for herself, folded tightly in her pouch, and one for Fina as well. Common Blue Rogue protocol was to prepare like this, but Vyse often forgot that. _My slightly forgetful nature comes back to bite me in the ass._ "Um… I don't have any clothes."

"What?" Aika replied, looking over at the bathroom, which was now quieter and without the noise of rushing waters. "Didn't you pack a spare?"

"Nope," He admitted, sighing. "I forgot. Damn, I knew one of Dad's lectures would be useful some day."

Before she could register any comments or suggestions, someone knocked at the door to the room. Fina was closest, and so quietly opened the door. "Um… yes?"

A man in Nasrian robes was waiting outside the door, with a folded set of clothes and strongly resembled Vyse's. "Compliments of the Lady Bellena," He said in a scratchy voice, handing her the clothing. Under Vyse's outfit was one for Aika and Fina as well. "In case you were stranded for too long. Can't have you appearing naked on the docks."

"Oh… erm…" The Silvite was speechless, and the man turned, walking down the hallway and exiting through the stairwell. She closed the door, setting the clothes down on the bed. "Bellena just solved your problem, Vyse."

"Wait," Aika said, again suspicious. "There's several problems I have with this. First of all, how did she know this much about us? Secondly, she remembered all this detail from a single brief meeting?" She held up her own dress- the work was exemplary, and it looked just like one of her own. She blinked again. "And my most prevalent problem- how did she know I was a 32 C? That's the creepy problem." She took Vyse's tunic and pants, and tossed them into the bathroom.

"Agreed," He replied. "There's a whole lot of questions this raises, and it's concerning that anyone could learn so much about us so quickly. I mean, we are being kinda covert about this so Valua doesn't catch us again." Vyse paused for a second as his usual behavior overtook this more thoughtful side of himself. "Wait, you're a 32 C?"

Fina watched Aika sputter and redden slightly. "Excuse me, but… what does 32 C mean, exactly?" She asked this with untouchable innocence, but it still provoked a snort from the bathroom.

Everyone paused for a moment, with the Silvite girl looking expectantly at her friend, while Aika glared at the bathroom door. "I'm going to have to explain it to her, aren't I."

"Pretty much," Vyse agreed mirthfully. "You are a girl, and I'm busy getting ready. Now enjoy telling Fina all about it. And don't leave out any details."

In retrospect, it wasn't _too_ embarrassing to Aika, and she relented, beginning to educate her friend. She explained what a bra was, and this seemed to surprise her. She explained that she had always just wrapped them up to reduce their profile, which again gave her pause. "… you mean those…" She pointed to Fina's chest, "Aren't their full size?" They already looked quite impressive.

"No," Fina admitted calmly. "Sometimes they would get in the way, so that's why I usually wrap them in bandaging." By this time Vyse had dressed, and flopped onto the bed to join the conversation.

"Can I see?" He asked, grinning.

Aika growled and tossed a nearby pillow at his face, which the teenager only barely ducked. "As if I'm going to let you take advantage of her." She looked over to find Fina starting to undo the top of her dress. "Fina! No! He was kidding!"

"Really?" The Silvite girl asked, glancing to Vyse who was nodded nervously. "Oh. Erm, sorry." She seemed embarrassed, but rather by being gullible then almost exposing herself to a male. "So, what does this have to do with 32 C?"

After several minutes of answering a wide variety of questions, Aika was satisfied that both of her friends now knew enough about undergarments. She also determined to go over to the side of the continent and jump off the first opportunity she had. "Okay! Now, if we're done making me want to run out of the room in embarrassment, can we please get some breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me," Vyse said, grinning wickedly. _Aika wants to make me feel awkward, well... two can play at that game._ It was working. Fina meanwhile was merely happy that she had learned new things about the strange planet of Arcadia and it's people.

The main lobby of the Ioun Stone Inn was packed with visitors and guests. Two buffet tables served the groups of groggy patrons, and they were loaded with a wide spectrum of food. Vyse quickly went over, employing a small shovel-like instrument to pile as much food as possible onto two plates, then expertly balancing the heavy loads to toss them down onto a vacant table. Aika managed to exhibit signs of intelligence as she scooped choice items onto her own plate. Fina as usual waited for the people ahead of her at the tables and was the last to join her friends.

Vyse mouthed an abridged version of the prayer to the moons before descending upon his food. The cuisine, typical of all Nasr's most popular offerings, possessed a tinge of spice, but for the most part was sweet. Nothing looked familiar to either of the three, which was not surprising. It was also delicious.

Vyse had gone back three times for more servings, returning with large portions of every dish that the innkeeper had served up to the tables. Everything from an entire cooked PyreFish to three mashed _Ghandel_ fruits was up for grabs as he devoured everything greedily and with haste.

"Erm... Vyse... are you ok?" Fina finally asked.

"Fine," He replied distractedly, attacking a chunk of seasoned and exotic meat that now occupied his well-used plate. "Hungry."

"We can see that," Aika noted dully. "Don't bother worrying about him, Fina. He's always been this way. He's like a human sky rift that devours everything that comes near him." Vyse nodded proudly. "He even takes pride in his gluttony."

"Gluttony?" Vyse objected, mouth full of delicious, _glorious_ food. "... yeah, ok. Gluttony." Then he returned to his self-anointed work.

Finally he as sated, and leaned back, burping without care. Aika had done the same thing a while before, and Fina blinked. "Oh, my. Erm... shouldn't you not be burping? I mean, it is a little bit rude..."

"A little bit rude?" Vyse echoed. "Fina, we're Blue Rogues. We attack armed ships and steal all of their cargo for our own."

"What time is it?" Aika called out. Somebody possessed a wristwatch in the crowd, because an answering voice announced that it was 11:45 o' the clock. "Well, looks like it's high time we get moving. After all, we have a sly whore to meet, and some ancient tombs to rob."

"Well when you say it like that," Vyse said, standing up energetically, "Doesn't sound very heroic."

The heat of Nasr's day assailed them again, but this time they were slightly better prepared for it. The oppressive waves of heat still blanketed their every action in a dull fugue, but at least they could partially focus on things for a while. They made fair time down to the docks of Maramba, which were probably just as big as the town itself.

Easily spotting the three foreign teenagers, Bellena flagged them down, waving indolently. "Hey there, handsome," She greeted. "Right on time."

Before Vyse or Fina could speak, Aika made her demand heard. "Listen here, Bellena. How the hell did you guess what sizes our clothing were? Who was that guy who delivered it? How well are you connected around here?"

"Lucky guess, somebody in my employ, and very connected," She answered smoothly. "And as for the other reason... I wear the same size. When I wear them at all." She turned to Vyse again. "It makes for a much easier time."

He flushed, and blinked. "Erm... that's nice to know. Anyway, we should get going."

"Agreed," Fina nodded. "I am eager to continue our quest, as well."

"As you wish," Bellena purred, climbing onboard a nearby docked galleon. It resembled the merchant whose passport they had acquired earlier's ship, with elegant and elaborate carvings on the side of it's wood-paneled hull. They felt nothing under the deck even as the internal combustion engine supported them.

"Very nice," Vyse smiled. "This ship is modern. A lot more modern than the _Little Jack_."

"No guns, though," Aika said. "If we run into trouble, we'll need to handle it with magic." Both of them had the eyes of seasoned ship critics and veteran pilots, having been raised by Vyse's father to evaluate the worth of any vessel within moments. It was just another in the massive plurality of skills that encompassed the duties of an air pirate.

"Just a warning," The exotic dancer called out from the bridge to the short primary deck of the ship, "Between us the temple are a hundred kilometers of wilderness. No forces patrol these regions, so monsters will be plentiful." Even in Mid Ocean, the Valuans did a cursory patrol every once in a while to quell any pockets of sky monster activity. The desolate wastes of the desert probably weren't seen as much to risk lives over.

Vyse tended to agree with such an assessment. As they set out on their cross-country journey, they were beset upon. Creatures that thrived in the sparse, hot and dry environment were naturally vulnerable to cool magics, so they all enchanted their weaponry with Blue moonstones.

As he split one of the creatures that was attempting to climb onto the deck, he growled, "Every one we knock down just brings two more to take it's place. This is impossible." An orb of water flew past his head, striking an enemy in midair and making them stop in place, shiver, and after a few moments, fall. As he glanced back, he saw Aika still looking confident, and charging up another attack. _Thought that was my move._

"I thought you didn't use that naughty word," She replied, hurling another projectile at two more creatures who had just jumped onto the deck. It sprayed over one, ejecting steam into the air while the monster flailed in pain. The other one retaliated, and she ducked as a dozen daggers of pure fire whizzed above her. They hit the glass viewscreen of the bridge, but like the rest of the ship, it was heavily fireproofed, and the only effect was to etch a small hazy trail across the side of the glass.

"I've adjusted my outlook to account for Nasr," He said dully, tossing a purple moonstone into the air and directing a wind strike at it. Hitting dead on, shards of piercing, magical ice rained over the ship. They weren't enough to damage the humans, but the fiery creatures found it a painful distraction.

Fina emerged from the cabin; although Vyse had told her to stay inside and let them handle the situation, she couldn't just sit by and watch. Unfortunately, Vyse took a moment to glance to the Silvite, and didn't see the cone of fire descending onto him. "Vyse! Look out!"

"What- ah crap." He rolled out of the way, but one of his arms and his cutlass was caught in the inferno for several seconds. The moonstone and titanium alloy wasn't even marked by the intense heat, but his sleeve melted, and his arm burned intensely. He cried out, dropping the weapon and kneeling on the deck, forgetting all but the pain.

Aika silently tossed her boomerang at the lucky creature. It was a Looper- the same kind of monster that had caused such an uproar with Aika years back on their former crews' former ship, the _Albatross_. The teardrop-shaped enemy floated upwards, avoiding the spinning weapon with it's ring intact.

"Physical attacks are nearly useless," Fina interjected. Her Silvite knowledge gave her detailed information- including the fact that Loopers were notoriously evasive. "Heal Vyse- I will handle this monster." One look at her determined eyes and Aika nodded, dashing over to the wounded air pirate.

_Is that the same Fina that, hours ago, needed to be introduced to the theory behind bras?_ She pulled out a green moonstone and tossed it to him. "Man, you must be cursed or something. Always need healing from me..."

"Excuse... me?" He gasped, pressing the stone to the charred skin of his arm with a shaking hand while he laid on the deck. "You're the one... who got shot in.. Valua..."

"Never argue with your physician," She retorted, pressing her hand over his to steady it. They both concentrated on the crystal, and within moments green energies locked within were freed. Sprites of emerald trailed through the dry air, leaving little trails of precipitation that quickly became steamy tails. A runic symbol appeared under Vyse, and Sacri began to work it's healing effects. Although it was the basic Green Magic healing spell, it still destroyed most of the burnt tissue, leaving off-color skin beneath it. He felt no pain, and tore off his other sleeve to use as bandaging, covering the wound with the breathable fabric to protect it. "At least your sleeves match again."

Meanwhile, Fina was staring off with the Looper. The last monster of the most recent wave let out a small series of triumphant chuckles, twirling in the air mockingly as it watched the silent girl. Suddenly she raised her hands to the air. "Moons," She called out, channeling her newfound energy, "Petrify my enemy!" Dark clouds instantly formed directly overhead the small Nasrian ship, but they parted a moment later to reveal the Silver Moon, glowing as brightly and beautiful as ever.

Aika and Fina, as well as Bellena on the bridge, all looked upwards in surprise. Nasr was the Red Moon's domain, and seeing the silver orb was unprecedented in this part of the sky. The monster seemed to sense the impending attack, as it wiggled and began to fly away from the ship. This attempt to flee did not avail it, as four crescent-shaped pockets of ethereal energy converged on it.

The spot the Looper occupied flashed intensely bright for a moment, like an explosion. For a moment, nothing happened, but as the light began to die down, it was obvious why. The monster was turned into stone, completely petrified by the magic of the Silvites.

Without any method of support, gravity eagerly seized this creature, dragging it ever-farther down, beyond the bottom layers of the clouds and into Deep Sky. The black clouds rolled in again, and in less than a minute the Silver Moon faded, replaced by the smaller Red Moon. There was no evidence it had ever been there.

Nobody spoke for a little while, and near silence enveloped the ship. A respite in the monster attacks followed, as no creature was stupid enough to attack that ship after witnessing the fate of the unlucky Looper. Lunch was dangerous when it could summon a moon and turn you to rock.

_Oh, my, was that too much?_ Fina wondered, putting a hand to her mouth as the confidence that had inundated her slowly passed away, like the seasonal flooding of a river would crest and then fall.

"_Damn_," Vyse finally spoke. "That was... _awesome_! Fina, you summoned the Silver Moon!"

"Yeah," Aika nodded admiringly. "You really took that thing down. Good work; we might just make an uncorrectable air pirate out of you yet." Fina flushed proudly from the compliments, suddenly finding a segment of the wooden deck a very interesting object of her gaze.

_Such potential_, Pondered the exotic dancer silently. She glanced back to her map and said, "Everyone, we're almost to the Temple. Get ready to land."

"Right," Vyse replied as the three teenagers entered the bridge. Within minutes, they sighted the ancient ruins in the distance of the shimmering desert wastes. The Temple of Pyrynn, and by extension the first of the six Moon Crystals, was within their sights. _Time to go to work._


	4. What Once Was Lost

Chapter Four- What Once Was Lost

The legends about the Temple of Pyrynn told of a massive pyramid-shaped structure that towered above the sands, accessed by a single colossal set of steps that lead up half of the temple, and provided potential access into the shadowed depths. Besides the additional large cylindrical blocks to either sides of the steps in front of it, the profile of the temple was strikingly similar to a picture she had been shown. Fina was impressed and intimidated by the immense size of the ancient building, especially now that she and her allies were groundside, staring up at it.

Aika and Vyse had never heard more than vague shadow rumors about the Red Civilization, and did not have access to the wealths of ancient data like Fina had. However, they needed no education to gawk at the enormous temple complex. It was twenty times again the stature of Shrine Island, and despite the dusty sand that covered all, looked nearly pristine. They stood on the even brick pathway that stretched out as a road all the way to the temple, and their ship was parked on the ground behind them.

Fina was the first to speak. "Deep within this facility is housed the Red Moon Crystal, the key to the destructive powers of the Red Gigas. It was constructed over 100,000 Arcadian years ago, by the precursors to the Red Civilization."

"100,000 years?!" Vyse reacted predictably. "It's unbelievable! The ancients built that thing, in this heat, on this sand, and it's lasted in pristine condition for 100,000 years?!"

"In a nutshell, yes," Bellena replied solemnly, nodding her head. "That is an excellent summary." The exotic dancer crossed her arms over her chest, staring up with a knowing gaze at the pyramid temple.

"Wait, how did you know how to find this thing?" Aika asked, turning to Bellena.

"You aren't very trusting, are you," The dancer replied cryptically and with a slightly amused tone. "If you were out on the dunes, and dying of thirst, and a caravan came across you and offered you some free water, you'd probably want to have it examined before you drank it."

"What?" The redhead said, scowling. "I'm not that paranoid. I simply asked you a question. Giving non-responsive responses seems to be your specialty, Bellena."

"Aika, I'm sure-" Vyse attempted to mediate.

It didn't work. "You stay out of this," She snarled, gnashing her teeth. "I've had enough. I want some answers, and I want them now, before I trust you any further." Fina felt that this was not the time nor the place for such an event, but held her tongue. She didn't want to offend anyone. Vyse sighed. _Once she gets going, it would be easier to argue with Dad._

Bellena fell silent for a moment. _I suppose she does deserve to know, given events that are about to unfold._ "... alright. I'll tell you." She turned away gracefully, staring up into the hot blue sky. "My father was a soldier. He was a very poor man and sometimes short-tempered, but a good man. A good father.

We struggled to get by, as the poor have always done. We had no one to rely upon but each other. Father was barely able to support us. But we were happy.

Until that day... that day twenty years ago. As you know, that was when Valua and Nasr declared war on each other." He turned back, staring at the three teenagers, who were listening intently. "When he died, we had nothing to support us. No money, no food. We were out on the streets. Some say that you can't die from a broken heart. Well those people are wrong. My mother passed away shortly after father did. She was so sad. I was alone, and scared.

And that's how I ended up living... like this." She gestured to her dancing apparel, eyes flickering over herself for a moment before tracking back up to stare directly at Aika. The redhead suddenly felt guilt wash over her for her general hostility to Bellena, and she looked down.

"Oh, Bellena..." Fina said quietly, "We had no idea..."

"Since then, I have hated war. Thousands die, hundreds more families have to go through what I went through... what no human being should ever _have_ to. And that is why I'm helping you. It's why I helped you get over here... because I know about your mission, Vyse. I want to stop the destruction and the bloodshed."

Vyse cracked a wry smile. "You can count on us. We'll deliver." _Not like we have a choice. Either we get the Crystal or the damn Valuans use it and everyone dies._

"Bellena... I-I'm sorry," Aika said. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that... I was a complete asshole. I lost my parents when I was young, too, so I know what you went through."

The exotic dancer chuckled. "It's perfectly alright, as long as you understand and don't take my generosity for granted. Now go and be heroic. I don't have any weapons, and in this outfit I don't think I'd be much more help than eye-candy."

"Oh, that's alright. That's why I brought along these two." He hooked his thumb in the general direction of Aika and Fina, deftly dodging a slap a moment later. "Wahoo! I win."

"Vyse," Aika said, exaggerated vein throbbing in her head, "You are the most completely stupid, perverted, childish boy I have ever seen! Fina, let's leave Mr. Macho outside to practice his one-liners on her while we get the Red Crystal."

Fina giggled. "That might be fun. We'd probably get it quicker."

"Ugh," Vyse noted intelligently, dragging his arms into the air in a fake fatigue. "Now I know what my Dad goes through with a smart-ass pirate crew."

Bellena laughed as well. "Oh, my. Seeing you three able to bicker in this heat proves the strength of your bond. And Vyse is very funny."

"Yeah, funny like an insane asylum escapee," Aika countered grumpily. "I'm sure a beautiful woman like yourself has someone much, much, _much_ better than Captain Crunch over there." Vyse bristled and prepared to return fire.

"Ha, sorry," Bellena said, laughing again. This time it seemed forced. "I don't have anyone special... well, I like him, but he'd never even give me a second glance. Or a first one. But I don't feel like talking about it out here, with that ominous Temple in the background. Go on, get the Crystal. I'll be waiting for you out here with the ship ready to go."

Vyse nodded. "Don't worry, we'll be in and out faster than you can admire my amazing swashbuckling skills." He pulled out his twin cutlasses, hearing the reassuring metallic ring as he twirled the semi-transparent blue blades into a combat stance.

Aika made ready her massive boomerang, unsheathing it and spinning it a few times, holding the crystalline curve to the side of her arm like a bucker-shield stance. "That shouldn't take long, considering his skills are pretty unimpressive to begin with."

"Up yours," Vyse said. "Ah, screw it. Let's just go." With such a grand proclamation setting the tone for their entire world-spanning adventure, he charged forward. The Temple of Pyrynn began to grow from it's already staggering size. The two girls giggled and followed, matching pace with their _de facto_ leader.

When the pirates finally reached the top of the stairs, they emerged into an impressive set of stone doors. They looked like heavy, bulky obstacles, but a test showed they easily opened. Vyse and Aika worked together, shoving the slabs back and allowing them entrance into the temple. The hallway was in near utter blackness, and they moved slower. The air was musty and stale, just like it was on Shrine Island.

"We're probably the first people to even attempt this in thousands of years," He said quietly, his voice still echoing off the red brick walls.

The passageway allowed all three of them to travel abreast, not that they'd ever be stupid enough to bunch up all their forces. Vyse was on point, the strongest fighter with his weapons ready. Nestled in the middle was Fina, looking around quietly and attempting to conquer the nervous sensations running through her. Bringing up the rear and moving backwards was Aika, squinting to get a bit more visibility from the gloom.

The floor shook for a moment and rumbled. "What was that?" Aika asked.

All was quiet for three more seconds, and then the rumbling started again. It grew in intensity, and the confused Blue Rogues looked around for any possible source. Finally Aika gasped, pointing with her boomerang to an enormous rounded boulder that, through sheer gravitational force, hurtled down the corridor and directly for them.

Without thinking, Vyse reacted. Every ten meters the walls gave way to grooved alcoves that looked capable of holding a person. He quickly shoved both of the girls into the alcove on one side, tossing himself backwards into the one on the other wall. The enormous rock thundered by, inches away from crushing his toes but missing him completely.

Aika had hit the wall of the indentation with her back, but Fina had been facing Aika, and so they now found themselves face-to-face, their whole bodies against each other. Fina flushed, her large eyes staring into Aika's. Her mind yelled at her to move away from the redhead, but she found her body unresponsive to commands. Aika had no such mental ambiguity, and enjoyed this.

"Damn!" Exclaimed Vyse, coughing slightly from the plume of dust that was kicked off by the tumbling boulder. "Are we lucky, or what..." He saw the two girls. "Oh. Correction, Aika, you're the lucky one."

Fina finally pulled away, face red. "Sorry," She mumbled.

"Don't worry about it," The air pirate replied, smiling. She turned to Vyse. "You know you're just jealous."

"So?" Countered the teenager, and he sighed. "You think there are going to be any more?" The ground began to rumble and shiver again. "I could almost feel that coming... right as I finished the sentence."

0-0

"I'm not happy," Hollered Vyse urgently, slamming himself against hard stone yet again. His shoulder and left arm were beginning to go numb from it, as he had spent the better part of ten minutes systematically evading what must have been five hundred enormous lethal rocks. The latest in the series passed him by, and he used his arm to push himself off the wall again. Passing to either side of him were the girls, both of whom were keeping pace with him well enough.

"Are they getting- oof! Faster?" Aika said, interrupted mid-sentence as she landed in yet another alcove. Already another of the boulders barreled down upon Vyse, who threw himself aside again. He heard an alarmed squeak and knew he had hit Fina's back again. He figured this must have been toughest on the Silvite girl, as she was the most frail of the group.

"Sorry," He said, dashing out a moment later. Fina followed urgently, with a shivering Cupil hovering right above her shoulder. The little machine-companion of hers was thoroughly scared by the many large and fast things passing it, and told her as much through their psychic link. "I can see the exit!" Joy entered the hasty declaration by Vyse, even as they avoided another rock. The hallway finally leveled out, in a huge pit that swallowed all of the rocks when they reached the bottom. It looked easily jumped.

"They're too quick," Objected the redheaded girl, thanking the moons for the thousandth time in the space of minutes. "We'll never get across in time!" As if to intentionally agonize victims of their trap, the Redites had made the walls solid for ten meters leading up to the widened chasm end. To reach it they would need to run urgently, and no cover would be available until they cleared the pit.

"Um..." Fina had a thought. "Aika, cast Quicka on me, and I will cast in on Vyse." She was still aware of the fact that she had ended up at the final alcove set with her back to the boy, and he had put his arms around her protectively. "Me and him can run for it, and then on the next pass you can cast it on yourself and join us."

"Nice thinking," Vyse smiled tiredly, squeezing Fina for a moment in affection. The girl was already blushing, and he was impressed that during this life and death ordeal that she simply had the _time_ to be embarrassed.

Quicka was a spell whose purpose was fairly self-explanatory. There was a greater version of the spell where a single caster could affect up to four allies with the benefits, but both girls had only ever learned the weaker, single-person variety. With the boost in speed they had a solid chance of outrunning the boulders, but only if they worked fast. Each cycle did indeed cause the rocks to accelerate in their rate of release.

"Moons! Give Me Strength!" Magical circles appeared as both girls shouted in unison the common chant for all Arcadian magics. They both formed sparking band of light that twirled around Vyse and Fina, as their skin began to glow slightly with a radiant blue power.

Wordlessly, he took her hand and waited for the next rock. With his enhanced sense of time sped up like the rest of him, it seemed to take an age for the trap to clear their part of the hallway. When the way was clear, they followed the rock, nearly keeping pace with it. In one deft motion, Vyse released her hand, crouched, and sprung up, expertly clearing the shadowed depths and to the other side.

Fina hesitated for what seemed to her like a moment, then jumped for it as well. Vyse extended his hands, catching her lithe waist and safely depositing her standing onto the floor. He watched the spark of magic flare again, and a moment later Aika ran out.

The rock never stood a chance, rolling harmlessly into the abyss. Aika landed in Vyse's arms as well, grinning and planting a kiss on his cheek before releasing her arms around his neck. "My hero," She said, voice distorted through the Quicka. They decided to wait until the spell's effects wore off for the three of them, and watched the trap. After another series of rocks, a nonstop column appeared, rolling down like an earthquake.

Vyse frowned. "What do you think would have happened if we'd been trapped by that?"

"Well, we'd either starve to death," Fina pondered, "Or die in an attempt to brave the stones. Suicide or a slow and agonizing undoing."

"Lovely," Aika remarked, smirking. "Well, we don't need to worry about that. The ancients might be smart, but they never had to go up against the most badass pirate in all the skies of Arcadia!"

"Yeah, me," Vyse said, giving her the raspberry. As he was chuckling the spell dissolved, and he was reinserted back into normal time. This was a shock to his nervous system, which had only been designed to function with one specific set of temporal variables. He shook his head as his mind fogged and shut down for a few moments. The girls suffered the same effects, although lessened because they had both used the skill before.

"Ugh, Briggs once told me that coming down from a Quicka spell is just like coming down from a moondust high. If so, I'm even more motivated never to try the stuff," Vyse groaned. The Vice Captain who served under his Dad for many years was a very experienced man, even if it was illicit knowledge. Especially if it was illicit knowledge.

"Same," Said Aika, leaning against a wall to gather herself up.

"It is quite an... experience," Fina noted, the first to fully recover. "We should keep moving. I don't want to be caught stationary when a monster or another Ancient trap finds us."

"This is why I'm not a mage..." Vyse grumbled, then entered the short hallway and into a large room. "... what the Hell." The room was rectangular in shape, and the only exit was on the other side. It was clearly sealed off, possibly even locked. The center of the room was a depressed pit that held a slightly higher layer, on which perched three huge barrels. Three dark square-shaped holes were sprawled across the floor. "It looks like a giant... puzzle."

"Yeah," Aika agreed, nodding. "I bet you that door's not moving until we solve it. This should be fairly easy. Look." She traced with her finger the path of each barrel- all they had to do was roll them in a straight line, in no particular order, to fill all three of tholes. "Pathetic, really."

"Yes, but how will we push the barrels?" Fina asked, and took a look at both of the pirates' faces. "Oh, my. You aren't..."

"We don't have a choice," Vyse chirped, running over and landing on the second tier, going up to the nearest barrel. "Watch and learn, ladies." Aika snorted, hopping over to her own barrel and preparing to stand on it as well. Fina watched with concern. The two pirates moved their barrel by walking, which caused it to roll, and then they balanced precariously on it as it moved into the hole. Once it landed, filling the space, they could easily reach the ramp on the side of the pit again.

Vyse was quicker, claiming the third barrel. Easily completing the puzzle, he wasn't surprised to see the large door on the other side slide upwards, slamming into the roof and providing them with a route further into the Temple.

"Freekin' breeze," He said, as the group assumed their exploration formation again, advancing through the door. The next room was a multi-tiered, huge room with zigzagging walkways of thick, old brick and access ladders between the levels. Everything was bathed in bright red light, which was emanating from a strange liquid-like substance on the bottom floor. "What is that?" He asked, shielding his eyes for a few seconds after he looked at it.

"Vyse, don't tell me you forgot already." A look from the boy was all the answer she needed. The redhead sighed and explained, "It's lava. Duh. You know, matter heated so much it turned into a burning liquid?"

"Oh, yeah," Vyse said, memory finally dawning on him. "We'd better watch our step. Dad told me about lava- it can melt flesh, clothes and steel with equal ability." They heeded their own caution, carefully proceeding. At the second level of the walkway a low growling noise attracted their attention, and they turned, to find a pack of monsters.

The creatures were utterly bizarre and different- one was a small creature that rolled an enormous pile of feces into a snowball shape and used it for a weapon, another was a gigantic ant-like thing that was attached to a hapless victim, somehow directly controlling the lifeless human, and the third creature was a dog-like agile creature with fur the color of flame and a bushy tail.

"Holy crap," Aika said, squinting. "Those are some ugly creatures."

"Look out!" The pile of dung somehow acquired a great velocity, barreling right for Fina. She narrowly avoided it, and the ball of waste tumbled harmlessly into the lava, where it melted. At the same time, the fire hound lunged for Vyse, who narrowly countered with a flat blade that the rabid attacker caught in it's jaws. The zombie-like servant began a slouching gait towards Aika for an attack.

The humans responded swiftly. Vyse pulled back and launched a wind-attack that sent the assailing hound reeling, while Fina chanted, "Moons, Give Me Strength!" And built up electrical power for an Electri attack.

Aika tossed her boomerang in a vertical motion, and with it's velocity, it carved straight through the animated corpse slave and into the creature, lodging itself there. The control bug screeched in pain, detaching and allowing the cleft parts of the cadaver to fall to the brick walkway floor. It began to slither away, retreating from the fight without a slave.

The flame-dog was quick on it's feet, and howled, again lunging for Vyse. This time when he tried to counter he slightly underestimated, and although the creature hit the blade, the force knocked his grip loose and as he swung up the heavy cutlass for an attack, it flew free. Twirling in the air, it landed with an important clatter ten meters away, half-off the precipice which would take it into the consuming lava. Luckily it did not fall in, but this left Vyse fighting with only a single blade.

The small, beetle-like creature that had attacked Fina with the shit-ball began to dance on it's two little legs upright, rapidly drawing them up and down onto the floor. Fina stared at it curiously for a few seconds before realization hit her. _It's preparing a spell!_ "Vyse, look out!"

Purple light surrounded the bug. Runic symbols illuminated the warm ground, cooling it off temporarily, and a circle of ice appeared above Vyse. He looked up and swore. "Crap. Hey, wait, I have an idea. Hey, dog-shit! Come and get me!" The creature either understood his taunt or was merely very aggressive, for it indeed did begin to advance a third time. He waited a second more as the ice crystallized into sharp cones pointing downwards, and then dove out of the way.

The beetle's magic attack, unable to be stopped at this late stage, descended rapidly. The dog did not see this in it's lust for blood, and ended up right under one of the projectiles. The ice pierced into the creature, and although it survived, the cold and the severe wound caused it to cry out. Vyse took the opportunity, lunging forward with his blade. The cutlass stabbed right through it's head, splattering the moonstone alloy with gore.

He pulled the blade out, turning to the small beetle before the flaming creature even had a chance to hit the floor. Aika was quicker, and began to cast a counterspell. "Moons! Give Me Strength!" From her gloved wrist, a small ball of charged ions began to gather and grow in strength as a yellow glow enveloped her. She motioned forward, and this set off the charge, sending a lightning bolt directly at the bug. The energy stored in the Electres attack cooked it instantly, freezing the dead dung-beetle in place as smoke billowed out from it.

They had emerged from the fight victorious, and with no injuries. Vyse sighed, retrieving his other blade while taking out a cloth from a pouch and wiping the blood from his primary cutlass. After he was again fully armed, the group continued on their journey.

The bottom tier of the walkway was partially broken, with large parts of it gone or damaged. A winding path remained, luckily for them. The deadly lava swirled below them, and it was incredibly hot on the bricks as they made their way across. Vyse decided to comment on it. "Yeesh! As if regular Nasr wasn't bad enough, they had to include something so hot that all matter melts in it in their temple?!"

Aika giggled. "Yes, it's all a conspiracy against you. Oh, hey look. Another one of those barrel puzzles." Indeed, they had arrived in another large room was a familiar central pit. This one had five holes and four barrels, and they were arranged in a way so that if they were moved out of order none of the holes would be covered. "What the hell... um, we don't have enough."

"Obviously we need to cover four specific holes," Vyse replied, leaping down expertly onto one of the barrels. "Let's roll, as it were!" Trial and error, error being more frequent, allowed the air pirates to finally deduce the one correct solution to the huge puzzle. It took them over half of an hour, since every wrong combination meant that they had to bring the barrel up again by hand. When the needed door yielded, sliding up to allow access, Vyse leaned against an ancient wall and sighed. "I hate barrels."

"I hate the Redites," Responded Aika, wiping the sweat from her furrowed brow.

"It wasn't... that bad," Fina replied, lying deliberately as she struggled to collect enough oxygen. The intense work that had been required of them throughout the temple on top of the stress was beginning to take their toll on the Silvite.

"Yeah, like getting punched in the face by Drachma..." He trailed off, as mention of their former captain brought back the bitter and unbidden memory of their sudden last meeting.

"We have to keep moving," Aika interjected, taking the lead "It's probably not much farther to the crystal now."

"Right," Agreed Vyse, following. The group passed several more vacant hallways, ignorant that a shadowed figure was silently trailing them. They came across a few chests, filled with assorted items of treasure, including sums of gold and healing or magic crystals. They reached an enormous cavern-like room which had more lava bubbling down below. The walkway split into two paths- one led directly on to the next area, while the other stopped twenty meters ahead, housing a single, large and ornate chest.

Before anyone could say anything, Aika had already jumped to her conclusion about which route to take. "_Treasure_," She said hungrily, jogging off towards the chest. Fina and Vyse exchanged a single look, and then followed at a walk. "Yes," She hissed happily, finding the chest unlocked. She threw open the lid, revealing an extremely rare item.

"The Rune of Ill Omen," Vyse gasped. "Holy crap! Isn't that thing like a national treasure for Nasr?" Dyne had once told his son about it during a story of his exploits in the past.

"This is a lucky find?" Fina asked, cupping her hands together in front of her like she usually did.

"Yes, very lucky," An unknown voice answered her question. They cast their glances around, searching for a source as laughter echoed through the large cavern. "For me." Appearing behind them was a figure robed in considerable clothing, with a red bandanna, and who wielded a short scimitar of steel. Recognizing the garb immediately, both air pirates drew their weapons and stood ready.

"Zivilyn Bane," Vyse growled. "Here to kill us and take the Rune, I presume."

"Correct, Blue Rogue." The man chuckled again, raising his blade. "Make your peace, and die!"


	5. Trust

Chapter Five- Trust

In Arcadia, there were few fixed superpowers like Nasr or Valua. Most of the infamous groupings were mobile, loose alliances like the Blue Rogues or the Black Pirates, their meaner, less noble counterparts in the skies. One organization was known the world over, and feared and loathed by all peoples.

The Zivilyn Bane was an order of assassins and thieves, a criminal federation that actively sought out treasures from across the world, destroying anything that opposed it. They were efficient and cold-blooded killers, and only Valua barely managed to keep them at bay with their repressive government and heavy military forces. All other nations fell to their predations, and any people believed them to possess mythical powers. Dyne, Vyse's father, had nearly lost his life to a Zivilyn Bane during a melee years ago over the coveted pistol the pirate leader now wielded.

In retrospect, it was really no surprise that such people were after the coveted Rune of Ill Omen. The man that stood before Vyse was determined to possess that ancient item, even if he had to kill for it. "Think again," The pirate growled, reaching into his pouch and pulling out a Pyri crystal. the small red gem was imbued with a magical spell that would cause it to explode, much the same as a Valuan weapon called a grenade.

He hurled it with all his strength at the Bane. The masked man easily slid out of the way, and the stone missed it's mark, hitting the walkway meters behind him. It sparked and exploded anyway, creating a five-meter sphere of hot destruction for several moments and ripping a gouge into the brick floor.

"Your throw is pathetic," The man said, his voice low and intentionally menacing as he pulled out a real grenade. "Let me show you mine." He pulled the small rod out of the cylindrical housing with only his thumb, and threw it.

It skittered to a halt upon Vyse's toe, and the pirate reacted immediately. He kicked it. The grenade went sailing, and through a stroke of inordinate luck, the small explosive hit the assassin in the face. It made a dull thumping noise against his bandanna, and then bounced upwards, exploding in the air. The Bane hit the floor with his back, out cold.

The Blue Rogue paused. "You're kidding me." The event was at least one in a thousand to happen, and most pirates had a hard time believing luck could do naught but hinder them.

"I guess all the stories are false," Aika said, walking past Vyse and right up to the prostrate form of the killer. His chest rose rhythmically, and besides a faint murmur he made no sound. She bent down, and said, "Let's take his gear, I bet the Zivilyn Bane outfit their agents really well." Reaching into one of his pockets, she never expected it.

In a single motion, he grabbed his scimitar, and used the short blade, stabbing her straight in her stomach. The blade carved into her, and she gasped, pain paralyzing her face into a mask of surprised agony. Fina and Vyse made noises of alarm, and the man coiled up, kicking Aika. She flew over him, landing in a motionless heap behind him.

"Aika! No!" Vyse cried out. The assassin stood up efficiently, reading her blade once more and chuckling. "Damn you!"

"Looks like it's the end for your little friend," The Bane noticed with a tone of mock-casual observation. "She was far too rash and trusting in her eyes anyway." _Combat 101- put the enemy off their guard, and strike them while they're weak._ "Don't worry, though. You two shall soon be joining her, and then I will be leaving this place with the Rune."

"Fina," Vyse said over his shoulder. "You know Risen, right?" Risen was a mythical Silver spell that allowed a skilled caster to heal nearly any wound, and even revive people from the brink of oblivion. She gave no reply. "Fina!"

"Aika..." Fina quietly said, hands to her mouth in shock and regret. "She isn't moving..."

"Fina!" He turned to her. "Listen to me! If we don't act now, we won't be able to save her!" The gentle girl looked into his eyes. "Go to Aika and help her." Spinning on his heel, he readied his cutlasses in deadly earnest. "I'll deal with this scum."

"One-on-one, eh?" The assassin chuckled. "Very well. I could use the sport. Maybe after you die too, I could leave the girl in strange clothes alive. Certain people would like to possess her... and it would pay well."

"Dream on, you son of a bitch," Vyse said, charging forward. They locked blade, and began an intricate and lethal dance of power and speed, with both sides almost evenly matched. Thrust, parry, counterattack, block, dodge, roll, in a continual changing and lightning-speed cycle.

"Actually, my mother was a chemist," Hissed the Bane, out for the insolent teenager's blood. Using this opportunity, Fina ran as quickly as she could past the two combatants, kneeling next to Aika.

"Fina..." She sighed, and attempted to clear her mind. The sounds of swordplay not ten meters from her slowly faded from her mind as every facet of her being focused. Her eyes closed, and she _saw_. Aika's ethereal line was wavering- the contact between the physical being and her eternal soul was about to break. Her friend was about to die.

This went beyond magic- it was a far more powerful force. Silver light appeared, swirling around the two girls. Fina held Aika in her arms, also holding on to her soul.

_Moon of Silver, Watchman of Death and Keeper of Life, I pray to thee as a humble servant._

_This mortal veil is lifting, but her time not yet has come. She still has a purpose on this world._

_Grant me this request, restore anew the vessel of this heroic woman, spare her the infinity yet._

The two men ignored the spectacular sight behind them, both of their minds entering another trance-like state, focusing solely on their battle. Their swords became extensions of their will, and they predicted their own moves and the moves of the enemy. Each side matched the other, furiously attempting to capitalize on the slightest mistake. They were even- the first side to slip up would probably be the dead man.

The nameless attacker slightly overextended, and it cost him. His arm was gone, at the shoulder- sliced cleanly off by the razor point of the furious Vyse. The fight ended instantly. The disarmed Zivilyn Bane knelt inadvertently, screaming. Blood splattered over him, Vyse put his swords like scissors to the man's neck and saw red.

Aika opened her eyes and breathed once more. _Thank you_, Fina thought, hugging her furiously and burying her beautiful face into her friend's shoulder Aika patted her back, but then looked up and saw Vyse about to kill the unarmed man. "Vyse!"

"He tried to kill you," Vyse said, his voice seething with hatred. "Nearly killed us all. I'm going to end him before he tries it again."

"Wait," Fina implored. "This isn't right, Vyse! He's our prisoner! You can't just kill him! It's not your way!"

The enemy did not seem the least bit afraid or exhibit a need for self-preservation. _I have failed. An execution like this would be sweet mercies of a thousand kinds against what I would face if I were to return to the brethren... empty handed._

Vyse hesitated, coming down from his battle mentality and trying to make a decision._ He's too dangerous to be left alive_, he told himself. _He's just an unarmed prisoner, you can't behead him. That's... Valuan._ That voice had a convincing point. He wouldn't be any better than the Valuans but for his mercy and his morals.

_The boy doesn't have the nerve, _the assassin angrily deduced_. I should have figured._ "If you aren't going to do it boy," He said, reaching with his existing hand down into his pocket and pulling out his other grenade, "I will being myself to Deep Sky." He pulled the pin and slammed it to the ground.

Vyse was alarmed for a moment, but then backed away and lowered his blade, clearing the blast radius of the explosive. It went off, enveloping him in the explosion. When the flash cleared, nothing remained but a smoking hole in the walkway that led straight down to the searing river of fire below.

"That's the problem with fanatics," Aika groaned, sitting up unsteadily, "They suicide before you can loot their stuff." She looked up at both of them. "Thanks for the help, guys. I thought I was a goner for sure. He hit me straight in the gut."

"It was nothing," Fina said, blushing and standing up. "You were my friend."

"Yeah," Vyse replied. "We couldn't just let you die. Mom would chew my _ear_ off the next time we went around to visit Pirate Isle. And then I couldn't watch any hot lesbian moments."

"Har har," Deadpanned the redhead as she stood up. "Trying to hide that you care to make yourself look macho? It's failing."

Fina sweatdropped. _Fresh out of mortal combat and these two can't resist a few verbal jab_s. She turned and pointed to the second route, the one that lead across open lava for a while before hitting a seemingly solid wall. "In there is the Inner Sanctum, the Mausoleum of the Guardian, and beyond that will be the vault of the Red Crystal."

"The Guardian?" Aika frowned. "Am I correct in my guess that the guardian is a type of very big monster?"

"Yes," The Silvite nodded. "It is known to my people as Rokwyrm. Legends tell it is a gigantic serpent of stone that inhabits the lava lake surrounding the main vault. No one has ever lived to report about it, so it might not even exist."

"No, we're not that lucky," Vyse said, pocketing the Rune himself and moving on. "With our usual luck, the thing probably shits cannonballs."

Aika snorted. "At least that would be something new to see."

They passed the open doorway, into a smaller room. Over the edge of the bricks, the hot liquid mass swirled intensely, and fifteen meters across the lava was the large double-doors inscribed with Redite lettering. Vyse sighed. "How are we supposed to get across?"

"I was not gifted with that specific knowledge," Fina replied.

"I didn't think so," Aika said. "Hey, maybe we could-" The ground began to shake again, and the lava bubbled around a large circle. "-crap." Something began to emerge from the depths of the searing lake. The stone serpent form of Rokwyrm appeared. The creature was roughly five meters wide and thirty tall, with huge octagonal red jewels for eyes and rows of razor-sharp stone teeth. Jagged rows of spikes framed it's otherwise smooth sides. It unhinged it's jaw, loosing forth a mighty roar the shook the ground once again.

"Okay, that does not look friendly," Vyse observed.

As if in reaction to this pessimistic observation, the worm lowered itself and sprang forward, jaws snapping, and intent on crushing the human intruders. The three Blue Rogues dove out of the way, and Cupil barely managed to escape the huge teeth that threatened to mash it.

It hit the opposite wall of the Mausoleum, and was stuck for several seconds as it began to attempt and wriggle it's way back into the lava. "Now," Vyse commanded, and charged. Leaping into the air, he focused his willpower onto the blades and bellowed his own battle cry. "Ha! Cutlass Fury!" His blades glowed with the blue projections of his mind, and he began to rain powerful blows onto the tough back of the guardian.

Fina said, "Cupil, attack with him!" The small being morphed into the shape of a cone and began to drill itself into the stone side, hopefully damaging the beast.

Aika took out a Crystales box that she had been keeping since their raid on the _HMS Cygnus_ that sparked their entire quest off. She opened it, and used the boost to her spell to attack. "Moons! Give Me Strength!" It was nearly instantaneous- the creature became encased in a meter of solid ice, imprisoned by the chilling magical matter.

The shape shifter and the warrior continued their attack, chipping away the ice and breaking off parts of the creature itself. They had a free reign to attack as the guardian laid haplessly.

The ice began to heat up, and Cupil squeaked in pain from this, leaping up and back over to it's master's side. Vyse growled, watching the creature unload a fire spell on itself to melt it's prison. It was working- the ice began to flow onto the ground as bubbling red-hot water. When it was thin enough, the ice began to crack into massive spiderweb designs. The worm coiled, breaking through finally and freeing itself. It roared again.

"I think all we managed to do was piss it off," Vyse said. Rokwyrm's eyes began to glow and magical blood-red lines began to appear in the air above it. "Uh... crap! It's casting a spell!"

Aika said, "Fina, Vyse, get down. I have an idea." Dyne was more of a fighter than a magician, but he had done his very best attempting to instruct the fiery Aika. In addition to her spells, Dyne also gifted her with knowledge of a special power that would allow her to shield her allies from magical attacks. _The Delta Shield is a mix of will and magic, although the two are related. Focus your energy not in the Moons above, but into your friends. Summon forth a shield of pure will, and no magic will pierce your defense._

"Aika, I know what you're going to try. Didn't it fail the last time?" Vyse remembered the last time Aika had tried to cast a Delta Shield over him and her. She had managed only to catch his hair on fire. Nevertheless, Fina and Vyse retreated behind Aika.

"Well, yeah," She admitted. "But this is my only idea. Time to repay that time you shielded me on the _Cygnus_." Crouching, she keeled onto the ground and amassed her power. Beads of rainbow light appeared, focusing upon her. "Aah! Delta Shield!" Spheres of incandescent light appeared around all three of them. The stone lava-worm had finished it's own spell, and five flaming meteorites burst forth from the lava, barreling for the pirates.

Heat and sound overwhelmed Vyse, and he shielded his face. All three of them were knocked back into the wall with force, and felt very warm. Several seconds later Vyse opened his eyes and spat. "Ow."

"It appears to have half-worked," Fina observed, getting to a kneeling position gingerly.

"At least we aren't ash," Justified Aika, leaning up against the wall and gasping in shallow breaths. When she looked up, she saw Rokwyrm reel back for another lunge. "Duck again!"

"Hell no. This is getting annoying. I'm going to face it head-on." Vyse stood his ground, pressing his cutlasses together in front of his body. "Observe how a _real_ special attack is done, please. Bring It On!" His swords glowed, although this time instead of lashing out with the power he hoarded it, focusing it into the crystalline blades.

The guardian creature obviously had no idea what it's small challenger was doing, nor would it have cared. Springing forward, it charged at him like a gigantic bullet from a flintlock. When he hit Vyse, a strange thing happened. Instead of crushing the human being into a pulp, a countering force instantly slammed into it's face with equal momentum to it's attack. Stopped cold, the worm floundered for a second.

Vyse had flown against the wall yet again, but landed with his feet horizontal and flipped back to the ground athletically, unscathed from the charge while the enemy was stranded again. He grinned. "Moons _damn_ but I am good."

Aika rolled her eyes. "Lucky shot, I'm sure. C'mon, Fina. Let's hit it together with Wevles." The mid-level blue spell could summon either a chilling windstorm or a torrent of ice water, depending on the needs of the caster at the time. It would have great effect against the flame-and-rock opponent. The two girls joined hands, and began to cast their spells. Identical blue circles appeared about their feet and glowed with power.

Vyse stood back.

An invisible ocean appeared in the air and fell. The massive volume of summoned, icy water inundated the lava, cooling it significantly before it evaporated all of the liquid into a thick steam. Rokwyrm writhed in agony as he was flooded.

Seconds later, when the creature stopped moving, what water that didn't evaporate vanished of it's own accord. Wevles was quite a temporary spell. It's damage had been done, and the guardian laid, moaning weakly, on the stone floor. Vyse approached it cautiously, and poked it with one of his sturdy sailors' boots. As soon as he did, the massive head turned and belched smoke.

The smoke covered Vyse completely, and turned to a thick ash coating. The teenage pirate was locked in place, like the ice had done to Rokwyrm, and even his weapons were securely molded.

"Vyse!" Aika cried out, screaming as the head twisted itself around to look at the other two. Fina was quicker than it, however. Cupil, in cone-form again, dove straight for the head with a speed equaling that of the guardian. It pierced one of the jewel-eyes, shattering it with the force of impact. It wasn't expecting this, and howled as it suffered enormous pain and was blinded in that eye.

It began to retreat into the waters, granting a short reprieve as both sides assessed their wounds. The girls ran over to Vyse, and Aika tried to brush the soot off. It was packed in so solidly she couldn't even get through it.

"He's going to asphyxiate in there if we don't cure him now," Fina said seriously. "Hold on." She took out of her pouch a small ring. "A Ring Of Curia. Single use. I saw we were out of crystals, so I enchanted this item." She put it on her finger, and put her hand on Vyse's caked shoulder.

White light flashed twice, and circles of silver connected in a ring around the two people. Suddenly the ashes began to evaporate, and the thick coating soon had dislodged itself. When they cleared his air passages, he coughed and sputtered, lungs working desperately for the oxygen that he had been depleted of for a severe amount of time.

"This is bad," Aika said. _Cap'n Dyne told me about sailors who got Stoned, and when they broke it and saved them, they had brain damage from lack of oxygen. I hope we were quick enough. _Vyse knelt, still gasping and wheezing as the last silver light vanished, taking with it the last stray flecks of soot. "Vyse, are you OK? Say something!"

"Something," Vyse replied breathlessly, laying on the floor. "That was... unpleasant."

"I can imagine so," Fina giggled. "You need to be more careful when approaching a fallen enemy. I assume Aika already learned such a lesson earlier."

"Yeah," The redhead nodded gravely.

After a few more seconds to compose himself, Vyse knelt and then stood up. "Let's target that other eye. Then it'll be blind and we can finish it off, grab the Crystal before the Valuans even get here, and get the fuck out."

"Works for me," Aika responded. "What's the plan?" The ground began to rumble again, signaling the enemy was about to surface for another fight.

"Cast Weevil at me, and blow me on a gust of wind straight for him," Vyse ordered. "I'll cut his eye out, and catch a ride down as I stab his brains out. We can use his huge body to get across that fiery moat, too."

"That's really dangerous," Fina objected. Rokwyrm surfaced again with yet another angered roar, it's left eye still smashed in from the timely attack.

"Better than keeping in a battle of attrition with that thing," Vyse retorted. "Alright, do it now!"

"Moons, Give Me Strength!" Fina implored. Their explorations of the temple and the repeated use of her unique skills and magics had nearly drained her completely, although she didn't mention it. Aika also felt the burn- her magical abilities were winding down. They both combined the last raw essence of their energy into the low-level Blue spell, and compelled forth a wind.

Vyse felt the sensation of flying. Even through the misty air of the Mausoleum, the half-second of flight felt good to his skin, which was already longing for a return to the skies. He focused, and brought his blade down, stabbing into the other eye with one cutlass and using the second one to wedge into it's rock skin for a handhold. The thing, predictably, began to go rabid, shaking and screeching blindly. A lesser man would have lost their grip, but Vyse was stubborn and strong. He also had the incentive of knowing that failure to keep on the creature would mean falling into the lava below. He held tight to his blades.

The various damages that had been inflicted upon Rokwyrm were finally adding up, and after the long struggle, it began to fade. Falling backwards, it splashed into the lava and began to float, ceasing to move within seconds. Vyse was clinging to the side, and scrambled up on top of the dead body of his foe.

"Yeah," He whooped. "No worm-thing is going to stop us! Consider this thing extra-crispy. C'mon, girls, before this thing begins to sink." Aika and Fina scrambled across the long beast, and they were able to safely cross to the other side.

"We made it," Fina reflected, slightly surprised they had made it this far. She bowed to her companions and said, "Thank you for all the help. I would have never made it so far without your continued assistance."

"Hey, we promised to be in for the long haul, right?" Vyse asked, flashing her a grin before turning to the doors. "Now, how do we open these things..."

"Yeah," Aika nodded. "Obviously they won't just open, I mean the Red Moon Crystal is right inside, it's not as if we can just go up and push it..." She trailed off as Fina walked up to the doors and gave one half a good shove. The stone easily gave way, swinging inwards to reveal the relatively tight quarters of the containment vault. "... nevermind."

All traces of the fatigue from their journey vanished as they finally saw it. The light that emanated from the crystal was bright enough to illuminate the entire room, and as they approached it they found it on a raised altar. It was pyramidal in shape, and radiating an enormous amount of light. Vyse expected it to be warm, but the air around it was cool. It was gently rotating, floating slightly above it's resting place. The three of them approached it slowly.

"So, this is a Moon Crystal..." Aika said quietly, as if afraid a louder noise might break the precious thing before her. "It's so beautiful... I'm getting weak in the knees just looking at it."

"This is the most concentrated form of energy you will ever see," Fina said, her tone subdued as well. "It was created by distilling a moonstone into it's purest form. Moon Crystals are pure energy- this one alone has the power of tens of thousands of regular moonstones."

"So, this crystal is powerful enough to control the Gigas..." Vyse mused. Fina reached out, gently picking it up with her hands and drawing it closer to herself.

"Look at the light radiating from the crystal," She lectured in awe. "Even though thousands of years have passed since the Rains of Destruction, it still glows as brightly as ever. Between the power of these crystals, and the firepower of the Gigas, it's no wonder a majority of the world was destroyed. It's sad... the people of the Old World had so much power, but they used it to make weapons of war instead of helping each other."

"Ancient Valuans," Vyse muttered cynically.

Aika finally spoke up. "We can't let the Valuans get their hands on this, no matter what!"

"Fina, leave it to us. The Valuans will have to pry that Moon Crystal from my cold, dead body. There's still so much of the world I haven't seen yet, and no one deserves to die because an old windbag with a scepter decides she wants power." Vyse smiled, his natural confidence and charisma radiating outwards just like the power from the Crystal.

The two girls looked over to him, and both found that part about him enchanting. Fina was compelled to smile as well. "Thank you, Vyse. I know you will do all in your power to keep this crystal safe."

"Only Vyse?" Aika smirked. "I'm here too, and don't go forgetting that."

Fina turned to Aika, her face one of complete care and love. "I could never forget about you, Aika." Uncharacteristically for Aika, she found herself blushing.

The ground began to rumble, and Vyse sighed. "Oh, what now." A section of wall slid open, creating a second route out of the vault. However, he had learned his lesson by now. "Oh, no, Pyrynn, I'm not trusting you any more." He raised his cutlasses. "Follow me, and stay tight. Be ready to act."

"Right," Aika nodded. "Fina, between us again. Keep that Crystal firmly with you." The Silvite girl nodded, and the three of them moved down the newly formed hallway.

Surprisingly, no other events occurred as they took a shortcut path that eventually ended them up on the surface of the giant stone steps. The sun hit them again, full-force, and Vyse was suddenly longing for the heat of the lava on the inside of the pyramid. On the stone path in the middle of the cylindrical pillars, Bellena stood awaiting them.

"It's still damn hot," Vyse complained, and when he was in earshot of the dancer he waved. "Hey! Hey Bellena! Sorry to keep you waiting."

"I'm just glad you're all ok," She assured them, closing the distance with the teenagers. "Did you find it?"

Vyse gave her the thumbs-up and said, "Heh. Of course we found it."

"I knew you could do it," The redheaded Nasrian gushed. She paused for a moment, then averted her gaze in a show of embarrassment. "Erm... could I hold it for a moment?" Fina stepped forward, offering the powerful crystal to her. She took it, pulling it close and examining it. "Wow... so this is one of the legendary Moon Crystals. It's more beautiful than I ever imagined it could be. Thank you, so much." She paused, and her eyes narrowed. "I'm sure Lord Galcian will be pleased."

The last part of her remark took a moment to cycle through their minds. When it did, they all reacted in surprise. "Did you say... 'Lord Galcian'?" Aika finally asked, dread filling the hated Valuan commander's name. Galcian was the ruthless leader who had nearly killed them all during their escape attempt, and he was responsible for many atrocities and acts of barbarism against enemies of the Empire.

Bellena took a step back and chuckled. "Ha ha, let me show you." She raised her arm and snapped. Hearing the signal, Sergeant Abrams sprang out from the cover of a pillar, rifle drawn and ready to fire. His men, twelve elite commando troopers, emerged from all sides, forming into a circle and covering the Blue Rogues.

Aika and Vyse tensed up, crouching slightly and balling their fists at the sight of the Valuan soldiers. He looked over to the exotic dancer, and said, "Bellena... who are you?"

In response, she drew up a purple veil and tossed it in front of her. Her clothes and hair changed instantly, as if a disguise had been rapidly peeled off. Instead of the foreign dancing attire, she was garbed in the uniform of high-ranking Valuan Fleet officers. Her long red hair was now free and wavy, passing down her armored shoulder-plates. Her sleeves were a cinnamon red, with gold-laced cuffs and white gloves, while her tunic was a lighter, salmon color. Her pants were also dark, and she wore long steel boots. She crossed her arms over her still ample chest and sneered. "Allow me to reintroduce myself, handsome. I am Admiral Belleza, commanding the Fourth Fleet of the Valuan Armada. I specialize in covert ops. Brute force never wins over the cold hand of trickery, and you have all played right into my hands from the start."

Vyse glared, still in mild shock from the revelation and the betrayal. "You... you used us!"

Fina spoke up. "Bellena? I mean, er... Belleza... have you been lying to us this whole time? Was all that you told to Fina in the very spot a fabrication?" Instead of Vyse's anger and Aika's confusion, she seemed more hurt. "Did you just say that to get us to trust you?"

"I told you the truth," Belleza replied. "I never said my father was of Nasr, though. He was a Valuan soldier and he _was_ killed in battle. Years later, I became a soldier as well. I want to end all wars, so that no one has to go through what I did." She closed her eyes. "Countries go to war over petty squabbles and royal disputes. If the world was united under one throne, there would be no more war. That is why we need the power of the Gigas!" Determination blazed in her eyes anew as she raised the crystal. "Valua must rule the world!"

"What, so in place of the horror of war you would suffocate us in tyranny?" Fina asked sadly. When she saw the Admiral turn to a small three-sided slot in a nearby altar, she became quickly alarmed.

"If that is what needs to be, then yes," Belleza replied. "Yes I will."

"No! _Don't_!" Fina cried out, but it was too late. The shining red crystal fit perfectly into the slot, where it's light only began to intensify.

"Red Gigas, Recumen! I, bearer of the Red Moon Crystal, command you to rise and serve my will," The Valuan traitor yelled. Fina watched, horrified, as the ground began to shiver under the power of the crystal and the burning red light increased even more.

"Um... Fina?" Vyse asked. "This is bad, right?"

"You have no idea how much trouble we're in," Fina replied ominously, staring at Belleza.

"Goodbye, handsome," Belleza said with a morbid chuckle. "Recumen, I command you: Engulf these three in your flames!" She turned to the Sergeant. "Let us depart with haste, Sergeant. Our work here is done."

"But Admiral," Abrams objected weakly. "What of the pirates?"

"The Gigas will obliterate them. And any other fool who stands in our way," She replied. "And I don't know about you, but I don't want to be near it when it begins it's destruction." The veteran soldier found no flaw in that argument, and the commandos began to withdraw, taking the Admiral with them.

The light from the crystal became a solid beam of red that shot up into the air. "Run..." Fina muttered, then turned to her friends. "Vyse, Aika! We must run!"

"What's going on?" Vyse demanded.

Fina was still struggling with the reality of the impending situation herself, but she replied in no uncertain terms to his startled query. "She is summoning the Red Gigas, Recumen. He is going to kill us all if we don't escape. The Red Crystal's power will surely awaken him soon."

"I vote for the running," Aika interjected. "Right now!"

Vyse nodded. "Alright, let's beat feet outa here! We have no other choice." The three teenagers spun around and began to run as fast as they could away from the Temple of the Pyrynn, and the mighty pillar of light that was about to summon the Armageddon of their time. Even the harsh and barren sands of the desert seemed inviting to the three.

As they ran, they did not see as the beam of light slowed, and finally faded into nothingness. It's job had been done, though. The temple itself was changing. It's stone pillars surrounding the brick path collapsed in line as the ground shook and rocked. The cylindrical structures twisted, sand of ages being shook loose to reveal the pattern of a face on each one. As the last layers of the desert's effects were shaken off, the heads were each revealed to be made of an organic red metal, with intricate patterns running up and down it.

Vyse skidded to a halt in the sand and turned, his boots crunching noisily. He watched as the heads grew out of the sands, until they themselves were as tall as the pyramid temple behind them.

"That is the Red Gigas," Gasped Fina, staring agape as the hollow eyes of the heads began to glow with yellow light. "Recumen. Those structures weren't part of the temple itself, but were actually it's heads, buried and forgotten throughout the ages."

The heads tracked around, sweeping their gazes across the vista of the desert and the clear blue skies overhead. They seemed to be searching for something. It didn't take Vyse much to guess what, as one of the heads locked squarely onto them. "... um, it's looking at us. We should be running now." And they did begin to run again.

Fina tripped after only a few steps, landing face-first into the sand. Vyse and Aika turned back, running to their fallen friend. "Fina," Aika said in concern. "Are you ok? Get up!" Recumen's head's mouth began to gather glittering red energy into a single massive oval.

Vyse looked up, and then moved himself bodily in between the enormous Gigas and the girls. "Aika, Fina, take cover!" Vyse closed his eyes.

A fraction of a second before it's obliterating beam fired, a small concussion shell exploded to one side of it's head, and it was knocked slightly off it's target when the energy did release. The blood-red lance of power washed across the entire horizon, summoning forth a wall of enormous fire from the energy and billowing clouds of dust and sand. The ground shook with the power.

A moment later, when Vyse realized he was neither dead or even in much discomfort, he opened his eyes again and looked around. "It missed! Something must have hit it in the head!" Squinting through the new clouds, he saw the increasing aspect of the _Little Jack_ directly above them, port battery of cannons smoking from recent discharge.

"I can't leave you kids alone for two days, can I," Drachma yelled, leaning over the side of the ship. "Well? What're you all gawking at? Get aboard or we're toast anyway." He lowered a rope-ladder of the side to allow them access without taking the time to drop anchors and land.

"Cap'n Drachma!" Aika cheered. "He came back for us!"

"Come on," Vyse said, smirking. "Let's get aboard. Maybe we can take that thing out with the _Little Jack_." _Now we've got a fighting chance._

_I hope._


	6. Battle of Pyrynn

Chapter Six- The Battle Of Pyrynn

"Admiral Belleza, that ship is rescuing them," Reported Sergeant Abrams. The Valuan soldiers had escorted the covert ops officer to a safe and distant part of the sands, but his armor had been equipped with skyglass technology similar to that of Vyse's eyepatch, and thus saw the whole thing.

Belleza crossed her arms. "Signal the _Lynx_ to send a boat to pick us up, and have the crew stand ready for battle. We will ensure that they do not escape." _It's days like today I wish our radio technology had been advanced enough to, say, put it in my sleeve or something. Alas._

"By your command," The soldier replied, instinctively snapping a crisp salute even though she wasn't looking at him. Clicking on his radio, he said, "This is Pyrynn to Mother Lynx. Do you copy?"

The Valuan Flagship _HMS Lynx_ was under the direct command of the Admiral. It's steel-plated hull was longer than it was thick. It was semi-traditionally designed, as the large square command decks of the back were taller than the flat and long front sections, which curved out to a rounded prow. A set of powerful, industrial engines powered by Valuan electrical technology thundered along in Main Engineering, which was buried deep within the craft to allow for maximum shielding of their reactor.

The tradition ended there- it was painted a proud pink color, which was very unorthodox for any Valuan ship of any kind. Secondary cannons stuck out armored portholes on either side of the ship- autocannons that fired streams of superheated pellets that didn't do much damage with each shot, but cumulatively could spell trouble. The ball-turret guns mounted on the top were the ship's primary method of dealing damage to enemies, and rumors circulated that some kind of special modifications allowed mages stationed in the batteries to fire balls coated with magic. With no doubt, it was heavily armed- that was a prerequisite.

It was also designed for speed, and dueling with larger ships it's agility made all the difference. It was nearly 600 meters long, which made it over twice as big as the _Little Jack_ and slightly smaller than the average Armada Gunboat. Seventy hand-picked sailors crewed the ship, whom Belleza had selected for their loyalty and skill. To conceal the ship from being sighted as she brought the Air Pirates to the Temple, a gigantic tan series of sheets were drawn out over the ship and secured with ropes, and mounts of sand had been heaped on top of it to make it look like just a big sand dune in the distance.

_"This is Mother Lynx to Pyrynn. We feel the tremors from here. Is it done?"_

"Affirmative. We have raised the Gigas, and are preparing to return to the ship. Break concealment and go to full power. Be advised, enemy ship is in the air."

_"Copy, Pyrynn. We'll get airborne ASAP. Dispatching transport to pick up you and the Admiral."_

The other three squads of commandos, along with various Valuan crewmen, began to detach the large cables securing their cover, and with the help of mechanized wenches started to draw back the covers. The engine vents blasted, pushing tons of sand away, and the _Lynx_ slowly began to dig itself out from it's cover.

The Pirates did not notice this, as they were busy climbing up onto the familiar wooden deck of the fishing sloop. Despite their fatigue, they rushed into the Bridge, where Drachma was waiting. "Your timing couldn't be better," Aika said. "Thanks for the save, Cap'n!"

_She doesn't even care I left 'em earlier for the buzzards... _"Hrmph. I wasn't savin' you all. My quest brought me back to Nasr, and I wasn't just gonna watch you all get fried by that... thing."

Aika giggled, and nudged her friend. "Hey, Fina. Get a load of this. Wonder how long the Cap'n will try to hide the fact that he cares about us? Aww."

Fina smirked. "Oh, Aika, you shouldn't tease him like that. It's not very nice."

"Who's hidin' nothin'?" Drachma angrily demanded, then mumbled malcontentedly under his breath, "Lousy little kids, always gettin' me inter trouble..."

"Woah there, just relax, Captain," Vyse advised coolly. "Let's focus on the bigger problem. Mainly that huge machine thing out there that's about to blast us into tiny, tiny pieces."

"Agreed," The old man said, looking out the viewport as the massive plumes of dust finally began to settle. "Boy, let's treat this like a practice run for when we get a shot at Rhaknam. The sizes are roughly the same. Take the helm, but be careful, boy. Speed is the only armor we got. Do not get hit by that thing or we're done." Vyse nodded, and ran up to the controls, his memory kicking in easily. "Fina, I need you on the engine. Keep it from overheating- combat in the desert is not something it was designed fer, even in it's day."

"Um..." Fina looked down. "Captain, sir... I'm sorry, but I have no magical energy left. Both myself and Aika used it all up during our journey through the Temple.""

"Hm..." Drachma pondered for a moment. _The boy's alright with his blades, but I doubt he's skilled with magics. Looks like I'm the only one up ter it. _"Alright, I know a few blue magics, and we have stones on standby. I'll keep it frosty. Aika and Fina, take the guns. I already got an ammo caisson out there from when I sav- when I got here."

"Right," The girls said as one, and went out onto the deck. Aika sighed. "I'm already exhausted... hey, I just had an idea." She reached into her pouch. "Fina, here's a part of the loot we got through the Temple. I think it's called a Magic Droplet. According to Cap'n Dyne, these things will keep us going for a while." She tossed one of the teardrop-shaped cerulean crystals over, and her friend caught it.

The droplets began to glow, and cracked open, exposing a spark that absorbed itself into their chests. Invigoration flowed through their veins, and Aika gasped. "Yeah! Let's rock." They slid over to the guns. "What kind of ammo should we use, Vyse?"

Drachma was already in the Engine Room, so the teenager couldn't ask him. "I guess we should use regular solid-shot," He replied after a moment. "Let's give him a few volleys, and see what works."

"Recumen is charging it's attack," Fina said, pointing as a red glow strengthened in the distant profile of the enemy.

Vyse slapped the wheel, turning the ship at a severe angle until they were facing the Gigas. "Prepare for evasive advance!" They had to get closer to use their cannons more effectively, but flying straight at the enemy would get them roasted. He began to hit the wheel again, making sure to keep it in a 30-degree radius of the enemy's position so their vector wouldn't drift. He also throttled up, and the engines roared in reply.

With another flash, the beam sliced into the _Little Jack_'s sails, cleanly ripping off the top of the cloth sheets and the crow's nest. The edges of the sails became super-heated and caught flame. Vyse was just relieved that it hadn't hit anything vital yet.

They began to trail billowing smoke, and Aika looked up in alarm. "Vyse! What if it spreads? The high winds are just gonna feed it more fuel."

"We can't do anything about it," He replied. "Neither of us three has blue magic, and the Captain's tied up at the moment." With that he applied even more power to the engines, listening as the frame groaned in stress. They were now moving at an impressive speed, and turning was becoming difficult as the deck shivered. They were still fairly close to the ground, and their engine wake kicked up a dust-cloud behind them that joined with the smoke to frame the silhouette of the small frigate. "Ready port broadside!" He commanded. Aika and Fina ran four lengths of rope to the cannons, tying them together at the end and pulling out a small raw red moonstone.

Recumen grew in the distance, it's form now mounted on large metallic legs that put him slightly in mind of a crab. It danced around, towards them at it's plodding pace as it began to gather energy again. He stopped going evasive, angling them to pass the enemy. A second before they did pass one of it's heads, he yelled, "Fire!"

"Firing," Aika confirmed, sparking off the fuses of the cannons. They took a second to run down, and all four of the smooth black tubes belched flame. Four solid cannonballs descended upon their enemy with good aim as the ship flashed past.

Vyse began to turn _Little Jack_, and squinted into his eyeglass. The shot had simply bounced off whatever ancient material it's armor coating was made of. Though all four had hit, the balls simply rolled off into the sand below without making so much as a dent. _That's no good at all. Even if we could simply batter into it, that would require precision targeting, something we can't even do in the best conditions. _"Load high-explosive ammo," He commanded, and the two female gunners did as they were told.

"It's charging again," Aika observed, although this time they were much closer and slower. Suddenly they began to orbit him. "What are you doing? It'll predict our flight and hit us."

"Not if we knock it off-balance like Drachma did," Vyse replied. "Make ready to fire, and engage when the red light crests." Vyse concentrated on keeping the ship steady. _It can hit me even when I'm pulling all the stops out, so if we can't throw off it's targeting, maybe we can physically throw the beam out of alignment_.

Fina squinted, watching closely. Suddenly she turned and smashed the red stone into their new rope coils. The spark seemed to take forever to conduct itself up to the waiting explosive charges, although some of that was probably a fully charged Gigas about to hit them with it's ultimate power.

It was a perfect chain. The bombs loaded by Aika and Fina rushed forward, tumbling into the head of the nearby Gigas that was about to discharge it's ray-beam. Upon contact with it's armor, they exploded, producing four blasts that did no damage, but rocked the head slightly back. Unable to stop the reaction, Recumen fired anyway. Red light rushed to one side, missing the green ship by a matter of meters and leaving wisps of ionization in the air behind them.

"Dead miss," Vyse whooped. "Damage report?"

"It didn't do a thing," Aika said after a moment, sighing and leaning back against the railing as the fishing sloop continued it's rapid circular maneuvers around the lumbering behemoth. "Damn, those were special explosives. That was the most powerful ordinance we had."

Drachma had installed a series of talking-tubes, and was listening in. He leaned over to the tube after casting yet another back of ice-spells. "Boy, doesn't sound like we're doing much but trailing a lot of smoke and wastin' ammo. Time to change tactics. Looks like he's recharging, so now's the time. Give 'im the Harpoon Cannon and see how he likes that."

"Aye aye, Captain," Vyse replied. "Answering all stop, preparing to fire the Harpoon." He armed the weapon from the control panel and pulled the throttle back to nothing. The engine's aged rattle began to die down as it's power usage decreased. Soon the ship had slid to a halt, and was turned to stare down at the Gigas. _This is it. If this doesn't get him, then we're screwed_. "Harpoon Cannon, Fire!" He pulled down the lever and felt the ship rattle.

It wasn't very far to their target, and it seemed the mighty steel point instantly leapt from it's sheath into the center of one of it's heads. For a second Vyse stared hopefully at the long, thick black line connecting the weapon to it's ship. It hit them- the counter-force, transfered along the wire, of the harpoon.

The armor of Recumen wasn't even touched by the greatest weapon in the arsenal of the air pirates. The Harpoon was stopped on impact- all of it's force instantly halted, causing a whiplash effect that nearly capsized the ship. The timbers shook, and several steel beams cracked under the pressure. When the ship finally stopped shaking, all four crew members were on the deck, rattled.

"I believe," Vyse declared, sitting up against the helm control and gasping, "That was not the intended effect."

Drachma huffed in annoyance._ Not only did we not beat it, but we only managed to further damage the ship. This isn't working_. "Boy," He shouted from the ground. "Brute Force ain't workin'. Withdraw at once, and we'll regroup for another tactic."

"You alright, Fina?" Aika asked, shaking her head to clear it as the _Little Jack_ began to turn again.

"I am... unhurt," She replied, and attempted to sit up. Unfortunately the effects of the Magic Droplet were beginning to wear off, and the new stress was simply too much for her overworked system. She collapsed onto the wood of the deck, unconscious.

"Fina," Aika said, crawling over to her and shaking her shoulder. "Wake up! Damn, she's out of it cold. Vyse, Fina just passed out." She pulled out another droplet as she herself began to feel weary, and recharged. _These things don't last long, and I'd better watch it. I can't last forever, awake or no._

"Oh yeah?" The boy replied, throttling up again. "I'm about to follow." He looked up. The fire had continued to burn, and the fishing boat's flag, a standard whaling banner, was now free-floating ash. Smoke filled the entire area, as the rings the ship was tracing around Recumen became the perfect screen. _With all this crap in the air, it won't be able to target us until we're away._ "_Little Jack_, retreat." Turning the wheel, the ship responded and began to climb up and away from the Temple of Pyrynn and from the Red Gigas.

Drachma emerged onto the Bridge. "Boy, there's some purple moonstones in reserve. Get down there and shovel another batch in. That should last us until we're clear of the danger. I'll put out the flames." He sighed, staring up at the growing hunger of the blaze. Vyse nodded, jogging past him and abandoning the controls of the ship.

Aika watched Drachma begin to cast Blue spells in an attempt to control the burning wreckage of the bottom sails. She sighed. _How are we supposed to beat that thing? We don't even know anything about it besides it has poor balance. The only person here who could tell us anything... is cold out of it._ She looked over to Fina. It's the only way. "Fina! Wake up!" She began to shake the prostrate girl again, yelling furiously.

"Fina! How do we beat this machine? How do we _kill_ it? You have to know something! You have to tell us! _We can't let the Valuans win_!" Apparently it was having an effect, as Fina started to stir and groan. "Fina!"

"Aika," She groggily replied, eyelids fluttering. "So... tired..."

"Tell me how to defeat Recumen!"

"Can't... Gigas' armor... impossible."

"You and I both know that impossible doesn't mean anything," Aika observed, her voice unnaturally soft.

Fina paused for a moment, her mind in a hazy state of semi-reality and trying to find an answer. She replied finally. "User... Gigas have no will... it's the user..." With that she faded out, and this time it was obvious she would be furnishing no further answers.

"Aika," Vyse called, back on the Bridge. "Strategy meeting, get in here." Drachma had managed to stifle most of the burning flames, but had lost the sails, rigging, flag, and most of the masts in the process, which reduced their speed and unbalanced their weight. The immediate dangers had been terminated, and _Little Jack_ was cruising higher and higher. In the far distant sky the clouds of Highest Sky could be seen, but they wouldn't reach that all-encompassing limit for a while.

The old man looked over to Fina through the viewscreen. "She gonna be all right?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine. She's just really tired," Aika replied. "I managed to get her to tell us something useful. Vyse, attacking the Gigas directly is a waste of time."

Vyse nodded. "Yeah. That's what we just demonstrated."

"Which is why we need to go after the Gigas' controller," She finished as if he had never spoken up. "We need to find and take out Belleza's ship, and force her to call off Recumen. Until we do that, it'll go on forever."

"Good idea," Vyse nodded in agreement. "But how are we going to find her? I mean, it's not like she would come after us once she summoned the Gigas..." An explosion rocked the ship, shoving it aside, as several shells detonated to port of the rising frigate. "... nevermind."

"Either way, we'll last longer against her than we will against the Gigas. Man your stations," Drachma commanded. "I'll take the guns, Vyse, steer the ship. Aika, take Fina below decks and then get to shovelin' stones into the engines. I get a feeling we'll be using them for all they're worth. Belleza's a tricky girl." The two teenagers did as commanded, while Drachma went into storage and easily dragged out another caisson full of ammunition. He mounted it on a special brace made for that purpose on the deck and began to fill all eight cannon with powder and shot.

_Lynx_ was climbing up, approaching diagonally from the direction of Pyrynn. The long craft's engines pushed it inexorably forward, and the pivoting turrets of their special Magic Cannons began to shoot Pyri spells at the _Little Jack_. Luckily for it's crew, the armor-plated sides of the ship were much less flammable than the mast or sails.

"Admiral Belleza, the enemy ship is coming about to port," Vice Captain Morrison reported. "Range is 700 yards and closing."

"Cease firing in five seconds and divert power to the engines. Intercept course, helm," Belleza commanded, reclining into the large command chair of the Lynx's bridge. Dozens of officers worked at powered terminals on the level below them while Morrison stood to her side and bellowed orders at the crew.

_They'll try to flee, I just know it. Too bad my guns can pound him into dust, while his are fixed to his sides. Even with his slightly superior speed, he'll be dust by the time he can get out of range._ After conquering Pyrynn and the Rokwyrm, she found it ironic that they would fall to a simple battery of cannons.

"Captain, we aren't going to get clear in time," Vyse yelled out onto the deck. "We need to do something! What are your orders?"

"Listen up," The old man yelled over the sound of explosions that bubbled all around them, "Belleza knows we're faster, so she'll be expecting us to make a beeline outa here. What she don't know is that we're gonna turn hard as she goes and hit her with a volley. Get ready to give that wheel all you got, boy." He grabbed onto the railing as a lucky hit took a significant chunk out of the thick bottom armor. _These kids are really hard on my ship, all things considered._

"They're angling to intercept us, sir," Vyse said. "We aren't fast enough... their main guns have stopped to reload." Even Valuan cannons had to reload sometime, and even though they had machines to refresh the magazines it would take them precious seconds to prepare. _They're out, and we're in_. "Brace yourselves! Hard to port! Fire as she comes into angle!"

He tugged the wheel with all his strength, and felt the ship turn. At a suicidal speed it took enormous power to change their heading, and it took a few seconds. Belleza gasped as she saw the sloop come about, in perfect position to return fire.

"Take this," The old man roared, setting off the cannons as the _Lynx_ loomed closer. The four cylinders rocked back, tossing their lethal projectiles. The four spinning solid balls closed for a moment with their target, and then impacted. Three of them slammed into the ship's prow armor, cracking and denting it inwards from the force, while the fourth one's lucky angle sent it tumbling through the bridge viewscreen. The lead and steel object hit the far wall, shaking the deck meters from Belleza and denting it severely before dropping to the ground and rolling off to one side.

Both ships broke away- turning in opposite directions in wide arcs. The Valuan Admiral scowled. "He did the exact opposite of what I thought he would do... and he caught me dead to rights. Next time I won't let him escape. Helm! Circle us around for another pass but keep our side to him. I won't go nose-to-nose with a ship carrying that Harpoon. Autocannon control, prepare for attack."

"Boy," Drachma ordered, "Get that Harpoon ready. If she tries to go rammin', we'll hit her with it. Recumen might be able to shrug it off but the weakened prow armor of a Valuan cruiser'll be like butter."

"Aye aye, Captain," Vyse acknowledged, rearming their strongest weapon. He turned to the talking-tube. "Aika! How you holding up?" There was no reply for several seconds. "Aika! What's going on! Respond!" Nothing but the background clatter off the engine that was nearly as old as the Gigas answered him. "Sir, I think something's wrong with Aika!"

"We did turn pretty hard," The old man said. "I'm gonna go check on her. Give Admiral Belleza my 'regards'." The teenager nodded- their arc was almost complete, and soon they would have the _Lynx_ back in their sights. Drachma trudged down into the inner deck of the Little Jack, and made his way to the Engine Room. Aika laid against the floor, and the bucket of spare moonstones was capsized, it's contents spread across the floor like huge purple snowflakes. "Aika. Aika, are you alright?"

He leaned over, groaning, and shook her none-too-gently with his artificial arm. She gave no reply. Drachma turned up and bellowed into the talking tube, "Boy, she's out clean. I suppose she musta hit her head on the wall."

"Wow," Vyse replied. "Can this ship function in battle with only two people, sir?"

"It's functioned with one for thirty years," He answered, and hefted Aika onto his shoulder easily. He put her in his quarters, depositing her on his old bed before making haste back up above the decks. "What's the situation?"

"The enemy doesn't want to play chicken," The pilot of the ship replied, glaring into his skyglass. "They've turned and are orbiting us. We're approaching them rapidly. Give it 500 and closing."

"Fire when ready," Drachma acknowledged, nodding his head.

"Fire when ready," Belleza commanded, and felt her ship shiver as the dozen autocannons began to fire. Streams of small pellets descended by the millions, pelting the prow of their enemy mercilessly. their front armor began to crack, and dozens of the pellets hit their bridge, forcing it's occupants to duck or be beheaded. A mast split open with the force of a volley, and wood splinters filled the air in moments as various wooden bits were destroyed.

When Vyse and Drachma looked back up, the firing had stopped, and they had completely passed the Lynx. "Damn her," The fisherman growled angrily. "She countered our perfect shot. Now she's behind us again."

A sickening ripple passed up the body of the ship, and a moment later the rear armor exploded in flames. More shells began to overshoot them, leaving no doubt as to the cause of the newest damage. "Sir, if they keep firing at us we'll loose the engine. And it'll overheat anyway, which means we'll need to... stop..." He trailed off. "Sir, let's stop."

"You finally taken one too many knocks, boy?" Drachma said dismissively. "She'll stop too and pound us and we'll all die."

"No, sir, she's gonna punch her throttle. She thinks we'll try to take advantage of our speed to escape, but if we let her overshoot us, our Harpoon can gut her back to front."

"Hm... it's a gamble, but we're out of options and out of time. All stop, boy." They lurched forward from their momentum as the engine was reduced to almost nothing- only enough to keep them barely afloat in the skies. In moments they would know weather their gambit worked.

_This is it_, Vyse thought. _Come on, come on..._ The top of the viewscreen flashed pink as the _Lynx_ thundered past, engines still intensely blazing. _Yes! _The Harpoon had already been armed, and so all he had to do was pull the lever. He pulled the lever. The ship was pushed backwards from the raw force behind the attack, and the enemy never saw it coming.

Valuan armor plating on the rear was notoriously thin, and Belleza's pride was no exception. Piercing through it as easily as the rocks of the Great Barrier Reefs, the harpoon carved through the ship, ripping entire decks apart and tearing into the heart of the cruiser. It emerged out the side, scattering the broken and shattered pieces of the forward armor.

Drachma was suddenly struck by an idea, and grabbed the moonstone he had been using for a while to fire the cannons. It had plenty of magical energy left. He dashed onto the deck, and climbed up to the huge black metal-fiber cable that attached the Harpoon to it's launcher. By striking the stone repeatedly against the meter-thick elastic line, he induced a spark, which quickly traveled it's way up to the _Lynx_. "This should work!"

Work indeed- the spark passed through the ruined Main Engineering of the wounded ship, and ignited rows of fuel tanks. The effects of this were quick and devastating- fire rampaged throughout the ship, in torrential waves of heat that melted through metal, glass and skin with perfect ease. Anyone below the decks was instantly killed, and the ammunition stores chain-reacted in yet another series of explosions that ripped open the top hull.

Vyse stared up as the last of the explosions fizzled out, leaving a burning and charred husk of a ship that billowed forth numerous waves of dark smoke. The enemy was utterly defeated- he wondered for a moment if the ship wouldn't drop out of the sky, then the _Lynx_ began to descend, shaking.

"Boy, reel it back in," Drachma encouraged, and Vyse obeyed, pressing the recall button. Powerful motors in the insides of the _Little Jack_ began to roll, and the Harpoon wrenched itself from it's temporary rest on the prow of the Valuan ship, withdrawing with it's cable and leaving a gaping tunnel from front-to-back that was filled with smoke and flame. He grunted triumphantly. "They're beaten. Look, they're raising white banners." Surviving crew were indeed raising long white sheets, which were the universally recognized symbol of surrender.

"Sir, engine temperature is reaching critical," Vyse reported upon seeing one of the many old and worn gages of the Helm controls pass into the red metric. "They're raising signal flags. 'W-E-A-R-E-C-A-L-L-I-N-G-O-F-F-T-H-E-G-I-G-A-S'."

In the distance, the machine began to descend back into the sands, plunging willingly into it's grave of the ages. Both men still conscious let out their breaths, but Drachma remained resolute. "Get us to the ground, boy, and then help me treat the girls."

"Aye, Captain," He said with a grin, flashing a confident thumbs-up to the career whaler. _Little Jack_ descended near the _Lynx_, setting down with a marked amount of grace despite the deteriorating engine. "Sir, the drives are finally quitting. We're stuck here."

"Don't worry about that," Drachma said. "We've got a new engine comin' soon. We got enough fuel to reach Sailor's Island?"

"Yeah, but we'll be running on fumes when we get there," Vyse nodded. He followed Drachma below the decks, and into his quarters, where he saw Aika. Fina was laying in a makeshift hammock on the wall. Both of them were sleeping, and looking remarkably peaceful. "How are they?"

"Look fine to me," Rumbled the old man, taking out a Sacri crystal. "Aika took a serious bruise, though. This crystal might not be enough, but it should prevent any concussions." He held it over her forehead, and green light sprang forward, dancing across her form. Healing energies mended the blunt impact trauma from the severe turn.

Vyse sighed and looked down. "I don't believe this... both of the girls are like this because... because I wasn't good enough. Fina got too worked over because I had her use all her skills in the fights, and Aika... it's almost like I slammed her against that wall. I was driving." He sighed and leaned against the door frame. _I am pretty burned out myself. We've had a horrible day._

"Hey," Drachma said. "Self-pity never helped anyone. We're gonna meet with Belleza- I believe she has some spare parts for us. I don't think their secondary engines were busted up, and they'll work fine for a ship this size..." Vyse finally caught onto his drift, and smirked. "Salvage missions are always sweeter, boy, if you kick the ass of the person whose salvage you want."

0-0

Admiral Belleza had promptly come un-escorted halfway between their ships, and was waiting out in the sun for the crew of the _Little Jack_. She had just suffered a crippling tactical defeat, and would need to explain to Lord Galcian how miserably she had been beaten by a ragged band of Blue Rogues and a cranky old man.

They took their time, however. They were in no rush, and Vyse wanted the girls to be awake for when they accepted her surrender. _Belleza isn't going anywhere fast_, Vyse thought with a smile, leaning over the bed as Aika was the first to awaken. She opened her eyes slowly. "Ugh... what happened to me?" She groaned.

"Um... put it this way," Vyse said, looking at the wall. "You were hurt because someone very close to you is an idiot."

Aika blinked, and then memory came flooding back to her in waves like the ocean. "Wait... I was down shoveling stones like the Cap'n told me to, because we were fighting... wait! Recumen!" She sat up suddenly but Vyse put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Did we win?"

"Obviously," He replied. "Otherwise we wouldn't be here. We kicked Belleza's ass, but Captain said to wait for you and Fina to wake up so we could all deal with her."

Aika looked over to Fina, and said, "Is she alright?"

Vyse nodded. "Heavy fatigue. She was running on fumes after we defeated Rokwyrm. I think that her Silvite magic takes more out of her than we figured. Anyway, we gave her some Sacri just to be sure, and she should be up in a while. We'll get some real sleep on our way out of here."

"I would like... real sleep," Fina replied in a faint voice, eyes still closed. "Do we have the... crystal?"

"No, but Belleza's going to hand it over to us," Vyse nodded. "We have won the day, despite overwhelming odds, thanks all to my brave heroism."

The Silvite giggled quietly. Vyse always knew how to cheer her up. "Vyse... the Green Crystal is next."

"Green Crystal?" Aika asked, turning over to look at her.

Fina nodded. "Yes. Under the light of the Green Moon... a blessed land awaits. Past South Ocean, to the West. There lies Grendel, and the Crystal to control it."

"Wait, there's land under the Green Moon?" Vyse asked. He had heard the rumors of the lost continent of Ixa'Taka, but had discounted it as just that- rumor and myth, a legend taught to young children about huge forests that stretched out in all directions to the horizon, of a lush land blessed and of plenty. "Woah. We'll need to cross South Ocean, which no one has ever done before... awesome." _Real sailors aren't afraid of the unknown._

"Awesome isn't the word I would use, Vyse," Aika said, standing up slowly. "I'm good to move. Fina, stay here and rest while we go rub it in Belleza's face, ok?" Too weak to put up an argument if she had intended to, the girl merely nodded and drifted back away.

The three of them emerged down a ramp and onto the sands, and made their way over towards the figure of the Admiral. When they were in hearing range, she called out, "Last time you were very prompt, handsome. What's with the deep freeze?" _Not that I would mind a freeze, in this heat._

Vyse frowned. "Yeah, but last time you were Bellena, kindly dancer with a crush on me. Now you're Belleza, cunning Valuan Admiral... with a crush on me."

"Ouch," She said, chuckling and clutching her chest as if shot for a moment. They now stood face-to-face. "You might have won this battle, but you are far from winning the war. There are five Moon Crystals left. The Valuan Armada never makes the same mistake twice, either."

"No, you always find different ways to fail," Aika said. "Hand it over." Belleza did, and she held it up to the sun for a second, watching it's warm glow before pocketing it. _I knew I shouldn't have trusted her... she seems like a good person, but her methods are way out of alignment. She's looking at things all wrong._

"We won't make the mistake of underestimating you guys next time, either," Vyse responded. "We'll get those crystals."

She sighed. "I suppose you're headed for Ixa'Taka now, correct? Valuan forces already own that continent. That's assuming you survive the trek, which is almost impossible. A headwind stronger than any in the world ripples through that entire region."

"No need to worry about that," Drachma interjected. "Our engine's overheated, so we'll be taking yours." He began to trudge forward, to the _Lynx_. Vyse watched him go. _Moons help the engineer that tries to get in his way._

"What?" Belleza asked. "Then how am I going to get back?"

"We decided you should walk home. You trick us and raise a weapon of mass destruction to kill us, we take your engine. We'll call it even." Aika smirked like the Cheshire Cat.

"You want me to walk?" Despite the events of the day, she couldn't help but smile. "Heh... guess I don't have much of a choice about it, though. 'Only those who have walked through the desert can truly know it's size' is an old Nasrian saying. Guess I'll get to prove them right." Drachma appeared, single-handedly carrying the large steel engine core by himself.

"With this, even South Ocean crosswinds'll be a breeze," He rumbled in amusement and began to trudge back to the ship. Vyse thought that was the first time he had ever seen his Captain crack any sort of joke.

Aika giggled, nodding. "Let's go." She followed Drachma back towards the ship. Vyse followed.

"Hey, handsome," Belleza spoke up again. He stopped and looked over his shoulder, listening. "You win this one. But Valua is more powerful than you could possibly imagine. And the trip to Ixa'Taka is a long and perilous journey through uncharted skies. Your chance of survival is null."

"Yeah," Vyse acknowledged, looking up at the sky and crossing his arms. "But I'm over that. The world is huge, and I want to see it all. Nothing's going to stand in my way- not even your Empire." He began walking again, to return his his misfit crew.

Belleza sighed. "Reckless and impulsive, I see. Well, I hope you last long enough for us to meet again. I love a man with stamina."

Vyse was lucky he was facing away from her, because he was blushing at her addendum. He picked up the pace, soon standing on the deck of the ship. Drachma called them down, and the two Blue Rogues helped him install the more modern, powerful engine in place of the burnt out old one. Within an hour the ship had power again. With a burst of power, it pushed off, rising above the sands.

"Boy, charter your course for Maramba. We'll need to refuel, and I think you've earned a stay in a bed that don't rock. For tonight," Drachma ordered.

"Aye aye, Captain," Vyse confirmed, pushing up the throttle. _One down, five to go..._


	7. Bounty Hunting

Chapter Seven- Bounty Hunting

Maramba was abuzz. Villagers discussed the rumors that were running rampant throughout the area; a battle had been fought at what was said to be the location of the ancient Temple of Pyrynn. Some thought it was Valuan forces, who had somehow developed a new technology and sent an army up to take Nasrad from behind- that was the nightmare scenario. Others said that someone had summoned the fabled lost guardian of the temple known as a Gigas. The entire thing had been sparked when a desert convoy that just arrived in the town reported seeing explosions on the horizon to the west.

Vyse was well aware of all the details- he had been there for all of it, after all. He found himself where he was yesterday, in the Ioun Stone in. This time, there were three beds, one for Drachma who had already awoken, one for him, and one for the two girls.

_"How come you sleep with Fina?" Vyse asked suspiciously. "Aika, she's unconscious. Even you can't stoop so low."_

_"What? I would never. It's just that the only room available has three beds and not four," The redhead had explained. "Besides, I'm a girl."_

_"So? You're... you know."_

_"Yeah, I do no. Now go to sleep. I know I will."_

The stress and fatigue of the previous day seemed all but washed away in the cleansing experience of a good rest. He didn't know how long he was out for, nor did he much care. Today he followed no schedule, which was just the way he liked it. He stretched out on his spartan bed, yawning loudly.

"Morning," Aika said from the bathroom. "The Cap'n woke up early, as usual. He's down grabbing breakfast, then he's going to get the Little Jack repaired and fueled up. He said to meet him at the docks by one o' clock."

"What's the time?" He asked groggily.

"About eleven," She answered. "We were all out for a long time, although that's no wonder. We did singlehandedly kick the shit out of a Valuan admiral and an entire temple." The redhead was proud of the previous day's accomplishments, and so was he. He grinned and sat up.

Fina still rested soundly, and he looked over to her. The Silvite girl still possessed all of her beauty, and she looked at peace. He sighed. "She ok?"

"Yeah," Aika confirmed. "Just really tired, according to Cupil." The floating silver being had, like most times Fina was asleep, assumed the form of a bracelet around her wrist. If anything was wrong with her, they could be assured the small balloon-like entity would be alerting them in the most annoying and chittery possible of ways.

"Rami..." She mumbled faintly, getting his attention. "... trust..." Vyse was puzzling over what kind of dream Fina was having when Aika emerged, clean, fresh and hungry.

"What's up?" She asked. "Stalking Fina in her sleep? That's not very nice, you know." Before he could object she pushed on. "I'm gonna go grab breakfast- when you're done in the shower grab some eats yourself, and meet me in the middle of town."

"What have you got planned?" Vyse asked with no small hint of suspicion.

"That's a secret," She said with a wink, and walked out the door to the room.

He sighed. "Whatever it is, it won't be good for me." Observations throughout his life had always proven that one- when Aika had a plan, things were about to get loud. Louder than usual, that is, for their home of a raucous pirate base. He took a shower, glad to rinse the ten kinds of dirt and sweat he had accumulated through the course of the previous day. When he was finished, he found a pile of folded clothes waiting for him next the shower, and a note from Drachma: _'Boy, I ain't your stinkin' mother, but the thought of you going pantsless made me bring your crap up from the ship._' Vyse smirked. "Thanks, Captain."

Now fully clothed, the Blue Rogue turned Drachma's note around and scribbled a message to Fina. 'Captain wants us at the dock by two. Until then me and Aika are going around the town. Make sure to shower." He smirked as he added that last part and then stuck it to the dresser adjacent the three beds.

The Innkeeper looked up as Vyse came down the steps to the lobby. She smiled. "Ah, it is nice to see you again. Especially nice now that you have ample money supplies." _I bet_, he thought sardonically. "Please, dig in. As you know, guests dine for free." The breakfast buffet was in full swing.

"Hm..." Vyse had three passions in life. To circumnavigate the world and explore all of it's boundless lands and skies, to defeat the Valuans and free the world from their evil, and eating good food. This was good food.

By the time he had finished, there was significantly less food for everyone else then there had been before he awoke. Loosing forth a mighty burp, he carelessly opened the front doors and walked outside. It was a cold day in Maramba, which meant that it only reached thirty degrees. Everything in the world was relative.

To get to the 'center of town', he had to walk about twenty paces. Despite it's status as crucial access point and layover for convoys and ships crossing the desert wastes, the settlement was still just that- a border shanty, with less than 200 total buildings and a population of under 2,000. He cheerfully greeted the citizens he passed, feeling energetic.

Aika was leaning against the side of a building, and waved when she spotted him. "Hey," She called out. "You took your time."

"You're one to speak," He replied. "I'm still not forgetting that raid on the _Cygnus_. You were late."

"I got there eventually," She said in her own defense. "And without my help those Valuan goons would have cracked the three of you open like walnuts."

"My nuts get along just fine without you," Vyse replied, snorting. Aika began to laugh, and so did he. Juvenile though it was, a cheap laugh seemed like the right thing to do, especially after all the honesty and heroism of the previous day. "Anyway, what's up?" The Nasrians around them might have been feeling chilly but he was still languishing in the heat.

"We're going bounty hunting," She replied with a gleam in her eye.

0-0

"The Bounties? Very well, let me check." Maramba's branch of the Sailors' Guild was located, conveniently enough, just down the road from the gates to the docks. The guildmaster of the outpost was a wrinkled old man with ebony skin and the stubble of an untended beard. Spectacles hung carelessly off his squat nose, and he squinted as he shuffled through rolls of parchment all over his deck.

Aika and Vyse patiently waited until he said, "A-ha! Right here," And produced a roll of fresh paper. "According to our latest intel, one of the bounties, Rupee of the Larso Clan, will be in this region for a while. The reward is 3000 _rhira_ for his defeat. You are free to use any methods you see fit- but he cautious. He's got money on his head for a reason." He handed them both photographs and sketches of the suspect- a very large Nasrian man.

"Thank you, sir," Vyse said, smiling. "We'll be back to collect before you know it."

"Oh, it is fortunate you came by here," The man said, remembering something. "A courier arrived yesterday with a package for you. You did say that was Vyse with a 'vy', correct?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "Package? Who would send me mail through the Nasr Postal System?" _Who would even know I'm out here? Well, the Valuans found me easy enough. Maybe Belleza's mailing me a bomb_. The old man handed him a nondescript box of cardboard. "I don't hear any ticking..."

Upon opening it, he discovered a small piece of round black paper in the bottom. The rest of the box was empty. He reached up and grabbed it, using his skyglass to read it aloud. "Vyse the Blue Rogue... I am coming for you. Make your peace with the Moons. Signed, the Angel of Death." He sighed. _Her again? Didn't I already get one of these at Sailors' Island?_

"The Angel of Death?" The man said, staring at the paper. "Then that's a... black mark. Son, you've been targeted by one of the most feared bounty hunters to prowl the skies."

Aika shook her head. "Great way to start the day, huh? Well, she can't get us while we're here, so let's go, Vyse. If we beat this Rupee guy we'll have enough money to upgrade our weapons, and more left over."

"Right," Vyse nodded, pocketing the photo and the note. "Thanks for the mail and the info on bounties, sir."

"No problem," The man said quietly. "Good luck, Mister. You're going to need it."

That ominous warning somewhat dampened his spirits, but he still struck out, and the teenagers had soon searched most of the town. Aika sighed. "I don't see anyone with this description... hey, have we tried the docks?" Vyse shook his head. "Alright, let's go."

As soon as they emerged down the marble steps onto the docks, they saw him. He was a towering figure, leaning against one of the support pillars that moored a nearby cargo ship. He looked over as the two pirates walked up to him.

"Hey," He boomed, "You've the look of a sailor about you. It's your lucky day, kid- hand over all your cash and you get to live! Don't try and resist, we're the legendary Larso Air Pirate Clan!"

Vyse crossed his arms cockily. "So, you're Rupee Larso, huh? Perfect timing. We were looking for you. You've been making quite a name for yourself around these parts- namely robbing innocent sailors. As Blue Rogues we cannot allow you to continue."

"You're quite a cocky boy," He observed, standing up to his full height, "Well, shall we just get to the brawling and get it over with?"

"Not here," He answered, shaking his head. "Innocent people might get in the crossfire. Meet us on our ship. It's registry is A26, and it's the _Little Jack_."

"Ah, that Mid-Ocean frigate in green with the stink and the missing bits," The man nodded. "Very well." They made their way across the docks and boarded the ship.

Drachma was onboard, on the bridge. He looked up at the man. "Hey, who's this? Boy, you got a lotta friends out here."

"Oh, no friend, sir," Vyse answered without care, "We're just here to fight."

The old man was about to ask more questions and figure out that puzzling declaration, or maybe tell them to take it somewhere where his property wouldn't be directly endangered. Realizing how pointless that would be, he simply sighed. "Don't mess up the masts or sails. Those're brand new."

"Aye, sir," Vyse said, standing on the deck and drawing his twin cutlasses. "Rupee Larso, I am Vyse of the Blue Rogues. Defend yourself!" Aika drew her boomerang and crouched.

"Ho ho ho," Rumbled the semi-giant, "Very brave indeed. One problem- I'm not Rupee." He turned to look over his shoulder. "Master Rupee! It's time for battle!" The teenagers were startled to find a rather small boy emerging from the spacious cover behind the man's leg.

"Barta," The kid said sadly, "You know how much I hate fighting."

"Master Rupee!" The man replied, turning to face him. "You are the head of the Larso Clan! You should not say things like that! There are enemies present! Now that your father has passed away, you are our leader! You must be strong!"

" 'Master Rupee'?" Aika scoffed. "Unbelievable. I thought the head of the Larso Clan was a giant. Oh well, tall tales tend to... exaggerate. What a runt."

"Am I the only one here with a problem with beating the snot out of a kid?" Vyse asked Aika. "He's frickin tiny! Looks mostly harmless, too."

"Vyse, this guy is a wanted Air Pirate," Aika said. "He's a horrible person. You said so yourself- scum of Arcadia or something of the like."

"What?!" Barta reacted, reeling back. "How-how dare you say such awful things about Master Rupee? You'll pay for your insolence! I will crush your skulls like so many loquat berries!"

Rupee did not appreciate the violent metaphor, and he winced. "Oh, Barta... loquat berries?! Do you always need to be so graphic?" He looked down meekly. "It makes me sick to my stomach sometimes."

"M-Master Rupee, I was just trying to put some fear into them," The enormous servant objected, stuttering slightly. "Be strong! We're about to enter combat, put your back into it! We have to show them the true power of the Larso Clan!"

Vyse attacked first, taking the initiative by sweeping his Cutlasses in front of him with enough force to summon a wind strike. The two crescents of moving air struck Barta, knocking the heavily muscled man back for a moment. "How do you like that?" He asked triumphantly, but slackened a moment later when the servant charged for him like a stampeding bull.

"You fool," He bellowed, "It'll take a lot more than that to hurt me!" Vyse tried to stand his ground and attack, but was too slow. His much smaller body was thrown back from the impact of the man's shoulder, and he hit the wall with blistering force.

Aika and Rupee were squaring off. The child tried several spells to attack her, but each fizzled out or were completely deflected by Aika's Delta Shield, even though it still wasn't as strong as it should have been. She snorted. "For a fearsome criminal, you're not very good at this."

"Oh y-y-yeah?" Rupee said, and tossed another fireball at her. This time she got some of her hair singed slightly. "Um... take that!"

"Damn kid," She cursed. "No more fooling around. Moons, Give Me Strength!" Lines of yellow power surrounded both of them and she began to incant her attack.

Barta looked over to see Aika begin her spell, and cried out in alarm, "Master Rupee!" He dashed back, looming over Aika who was looming over Rupee. She never even saw his fist connect with her, but it did, and his punch sent her to the ground hard. The yellow field lines immediately began to evaporate, and the spell dissolved into nothingness.

Vyse was starting to get annoyed. He leapt back to his feet, shaking his head to clear the minor ringing. "That'll teach me for going along with one of Aika's plans," He groaned.

Barta and Rupee turned to face Vyse. "So," The bigger man declared, "Ready for another beating?! Master Rupee, do it now!"

"Oh, o-okay," The meek leader of the clan responded, and began to cast Increm, which was a Red Moon spell that enhanced every ability of a target creature. It was a temporary stimulant boost. "Um... Moons? Please Give Me Some Strength!" Despite the chant, red light swirled around Barta, who felt more powerful than ever.

"Um... Aika?" Vyse called out. "Crap, she's not moving... I hope she's ok." He considered. "I hope I'm ok." He rushed forward, ready for battle. Barta met him, and stopped an uppercut from his primary cutlass with his hands. He tried to shove his blade up into the man's face, but Barta slowly and with great strength pushed the sword down. An idea struck Vyse, and suddenly he let his sword be thrown away. This sudden lack of resistance sent him lurching forward, where his second blade was waiting. For his troubles the servant of the Larso Clan received a nice gash across his arm before he roared and pulled back. "Strength is no substitute for intelligence," He taunted, retrieving his other sword.

"Master Rupee! Just like we rehearsed!" Barta order/encouraged to the boy. The little kid nodded, and sighed. Suddenly his eyes turned red, and Vyse sensed a change in the boy. Tapping into an inner store of rage, he gained a furious strength, which he put to good use... as he hit the back of his servant. This odd move was soon explained, as the muscled body of Barta was used as a projectile.

He collided with the Blue Rogue at a high speed, knocking both of them to the deck. This time Vyse did not get up. "Ha ha," Rumbled the giant. "Nice work, Master Larso! Let's loot their stuff and get out of here-"

"Um... what is happening out here?" At the sound of this soft voice, both members of the Larso Clan turned to look at the boarding ramp of the ship. Fina emerged onto the deck, saw the aggressive-looking big man and the bodies of Vyse and Aika, and gasped, drawing a conclusion. "Oh, no!"

Rupee retreated, fearfully taking cover behind Barta. "An enemy!"

"M-Master Rupee," Barta said, "Calm down! It's just some little girl, we can crush her like we did with these two!" The man turned to glare at Fina. "And just who on the Moons are you, girl?! And what's with the strange clothes!"

"Are you the ones who attacked my friends?" Fina asked quietly.

"Yeah, what of it?" Barta chuckled. "You want to make something of it, Missy? You want a piece of this! Hand over all your gold and jewels and we won't have to take you out as well!"

Fina closed her eyes, looking down for several seconds. _These are bad men... I have to stop them. But... I can't do it alone. It's time, Cupil. Distract them while I retrieve Aika_. Through the telepathic link, the creature acknowledged her command. A squeaky battle-cry heralded the appearance of the balloon-shaped creature, and before the Larsos could react, it dove for them and began pestering them, much as a fly would, and drawing their full attention.

She ran over to Aika, who merely happened to be much closer to her, and knelt. "Moons," She whispered, "Give Me Strength." She laid hands on Aika and conducted a Sacrulen spell. This most powerful of healing magic was the equivalent of twenty Sacri crystals all discharging at once. Blinding lights flooded the area as the form of an angel appeared in emerald power. Within moments the spell began to repair her spine, which had been placed slightly out of alignment by the devastating attack._ It's a good thing I got here. She might have been paralyzed if not treated rapidly._ She reflected for a second on how always the burden of saving everyone seemed to fall on her. I_'m sure it's just a coincidence_.

Aika opened her eyes. "Hey," She said groggily. "What ha- oh. Nevermind. I remember." The redhead's face contorted with anger. "Damn annoying kid and muscle freak." Sitting up, she spotted the two of them, who were still contending with the harassing silver shape shifter. "Cupil, clear out!" With another squeak the creature obeyed.

"Aika, what are you going to do?" Fina asked, putting her hand to her mouth.

"What I ought to have done when I saw those two," She replied. She growled and said, "Hey, you big idiot!"

Barta glanced over to Aika, and said, "Aah! Master Rupee! That silver girl tricked us and healed her ally! We'll have to smash em better next time! Come on, invest yourself! Get angry!"

"I got plenty of anger for all of us," Aika said. "Alright, assholes. Try this on for size." She held her boomerang into the air, channeling all of her energy into as she began to draw a circle of glittering light. "Fire, Consume My Enemies!" The boomerang caught flame, and an inferno appeared in the sky, trailing a hazy background. "Lambda Burst!" She tossed the weapon up, and three flaming copies appeared, spinning in an orbit around her. They all came crashing down to the deck, and a grid of intense flames appeared, roaring with the might of ages. Both Larsos were hit by the powerful attack, but Vyse was out of it's range.

_Yes,_ she congratulated herself. _At least I did it right this time, and even managed not to catch Vyse on fire again._

Now severely roasted, both of the pirates knelt in surrender. Rupee was nursing his wounds, while Barta was, as usual, nursing Rupee's wounds while paying no heed to his own scorch marks. Fina went over to heal Vyse, and with the party revived they confronted the Nasrian bandits. "Char-broiled, I wonder if they pay extra for that," Vyse chuckled.

"Heh... the mighty Larso Clan finally tastes defeat... at the hands of two girls and a scrawny-boy," Barta groaned. "Um... Mr. Vyse? Your sail's on fire."

"My what is on... ah crap!" He pointed- a small flare was indeed beginning to eat away at the pristine new sheets flapping in the gentle breeze. "Aika! Oh man, the Captain is going to be so pissed."

"It's their fault," Aika replied, pointing to the two defeated boys. "They pissed me off."

"So you had to napalm the _Little Jack_?" Vyse was about to go deeper into his self-pity/blame Aika ministrations when a large shadow loomed over him. "Uh-oh." With a heavy thud he hit the deck, again the victim of a large and angry man, although this time he used a metallic arm.

"Boy," Drachma growled. "What was the one thing ah told yeh not ter do?"

"Destroy the sails, rigging, or masts," He said submissively, holding his wounded back.

"And what did yeh do?"

"Nothing, it was all Aika's fault," Vyse whined. "She used her Lambda Burst, which worked fine on these two, but also caught the sheets on aflame."

Drachma growled again. "Is this true?"

"Um... sort of possibly," Aika admitted while trying to admit nothing.

The old fisherman sighed and shook his head. "Well, put out that fire and then... just... go collect your bounty or whatever. I shove off in thirty minutes, with or without a crew of pestilent teens onboard." The Blue Rogues escorted their prisoners off the deck of the ship, and through the docks. People began to cheer for them, as they had just captured the leaders of a notorious thieving gang and thus were seen as heroes.

"I told you this would happen if we picked fights," Rupee said sadly as they walked along.

Vyse was beginning to notice an interesting trend. "What's wrong, Barta? You don't want to be an air pirate?"

"Not really... I, I actually can't stand the sight of blood," Admitted the shy boy. "It makes me queasy. I'd much rather stay in town with my mom and make carpets." A detectable cheer began to enter his voice. "In fact, my mother told me that the carpets I made for her sold quickly and people are asking for more of my designs!"

This announcement sent Barta into shocked stuttering. "M, M, Master Rupee! But... If... How... What will happen to the Larso Clan's legacy?!"

"Well, a man has to follow his dreams," Opined Vyse. "If he doesn't want to be an Air Pirate, then what's the point, right? I'm the son of an Air Pirate, too, and I'm sure If I didn't want to follow in Dad's footsteps, I wouldn't have. But, this is the life I chose. Rupee, if there's something else you'd rather do, then do it. If you don't, you'll probably regret it for the rest of your life."

"Really?" The boy asked, smiling for the first time since they had seen him, "You mean I can go home and make carpets?"

"If that is what you wish," Fina replied with a timid smile of her own.

"B-but Master Rupee..." Barta began to object.

"You stay outa this," Aika groused, tapping his shoulder with her boomerang. "You lost fair and square, and if Vyse says the boy can make carpets, than he's gonna make some carpets. Clear?"

"Crystal," The man replied nervously. Aika was obviously in no mood for games at the moment.

"But I'll still have to go to jail," Rupee observed, bowing his head again. "I've hurt some people and done bad things."

"It's not your fault," Aika said charitably. "It's all because of this idiot's influence." She growled at Barta. "I'm sure once the mayor finds out the details he'll grant you a pardon. Not even Valuans would lock up little kids. Actually... they probably would, but only if they were bad... or if they got in the way... I hate Valua."

"Me too," Vyse, Rupee, and Larso chimed in as one.

"But you're still going to serve your time behind bars," She continued, jabbing him in the shoulder-blades. "Now get moving, scum! Heh, I've always wanted to say that line. Scum! Heh."

"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself," The servant said, and they reached the Guild, where they turned them both into the guildmaster and collected their fee.

"Can we have it in standard gold, please? We're going to be... traveling a bit," Asked Vyse. The man nodded, converting their pay to approximately 5,000 gold coins. "Thanks."

"No, thank _you_," The old man replied. "We've been trying to take down the Larsos for months now. Safe travels. And remember- in any port in the world, we're always here to assist sailors."

0-0

The rock did not just break, but actively flew apart under the mighty power of the _Little Jack_'s harpoon cannon. Vyse was manning the controls, reeling in and then firing again as they drilled yet another hole into the Great Barrier Reefs that shielded Nasr. Aika and Fina were out on the deck, chatting, while Drachma was on the bridge supervising. In this case, 'supervising' really meant keeping Vyse awake so they didn't crash into the rocks.

"Alright boy," The fisherman huffed. "That's enough. Let's go. Once we're through, set course South and proceed at cruising velocity. When we approach South Ocean, come get me. There's some things we'll run through."

"Aye," Acknowledged the teenager, saluting cheerily as Drachma lumbered below decks and to his quarters for another nap. He slowly guided the ship through the massive wall of rocks, and then rotated and throttled up. The ship responded admirably, and the new engine was barely a fraction as loud and rumbling as the old core.

He locked the helm on that heading, and then joined his shipmates out on the deck. "Hey," He greeted idly, sitting on the railing with Aika, while Fina merely leaned against it. Cupil was floating above the ship, their vigilant lookout.

No one said anything for a while, sitting there watching the clear blue sky roll by, along with schools of various species of skyfish. The tiny creatures maneuvered through the air with fins that acted just like the ones on the _Little Jack_ did, and were mostly a very docile type of animal.

Cupil began to squeak and loudly point to a direction by shifting into the shape of an arrow. They snapped their heads to that direction- and saw nothing but open sky. "... that's odd," Fina said. "I wonder what's bothering him..."

"Maybe it's something far away. I'll have a look," Vyse volunteered, and activated his skyglass. Suddenly, floating not twenty meters off the starboard bow of the green sloop, appeared a moonfish. Invisible and silent to anyone without a special lens to view them, these creatures were valued by a free ship doctor called Doc and they had agreed to help him collect the fish. "Hey, it's a moonfish. Huh, I haven't seen one in a while... I nearly forgot about em."

"Moonfish?" Fina asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Yeah," Aika nodded. "They're invisible, but we made a promise to a friend to collect them. It's kind of a long story. You going to take the shot, Vyse?"

"I don't see why not," He replied. "I'm going up to the crow's nest. Hey, Aika. Ten gold says I make the shot before we pass out of range."

"Ten gold says you fail miserably," The redhead nodded. "Go for it, then, Mr. Amazing."

Fina was confused. "Erm... excuse me, but do your gold coins truly tell you these things, Aika?" Seeing her stunned reaction, she looked down. "I'm sorry... I should have studied more..."

"No, really, it's ok," Aika replied slowly. "I should have learned to expect it by now. It's an expression we use for when we gamble." Another vacant look told her further amplification was needed. "Gambling... we wager sums of money on things. If you guess right about the event, you get the money. In this instance, if he hits the Moonfish (which he won't), he gets 10 gold from me. If, more likely, he misses, I win his 10 gold. It's a friendly game."

"Oh," Fina nodded. "It certainly sounds... different. On the Silver Moon I had never even heard of gambling. Or money. Or bras." The last one had the redhead flushing with embarrassment. "Aika, are you ok? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," She replied in a deadpan, and saw Vyse was positioned on the crow's nest.

He silently raised the capture-pistol, arming it and engaging his skyglass. Within a minute of scanning the skies he found the moonfish, now almost a hundred meters away. _I hope this rope is rated for that length. Here goes..._ He fired. The cable reached out through the sky, propelling the morphing putty 'warhead' with it.

A second later, he reeled in the mass of putty, whooping triumphantly as the unit withdrew back into the weapon. "What?" Aika yelled up to him, "Did you get it?"

"Nope," Vyse gleefully replied. "I just wanted to mess with you." He leapt up onto the railing of the crow's nest then allowed himself to fall, landing perfectly in a roll on the deck and standing up right in front of Aika and Fina.

Aika suddenly was possessed by a severe coughing fit, which sounded suspiciously like 'show-off', as she graciously accepted her winnings. Fina giggled. "Every day with you two is certainly interesting."

"Ah, interesting," Vyse said, leaning against the railing. "High praise for me."

"Also _rare_ praise," Aika emphasized, laughing.

The ship continued on it's journey for nearly three hours, passing through a large section of the southern Mid Ocean, where very little land or people were located. On the distant horizon, a series of distortions in the cloud cover appeared, and Vyse snapped. "That looks like it. Aika, go wake the Captain. Fina, let's get to the bridge and get ready." Both of the girls nodded and Aika raced off to go below decks.

Vyse got to the controls and unlocked them, assuming the traditional steering wheel and preparing the ship. He smiled. _Into the unknown, as usual._


	8. South Ocean

Chapter Eight- South Ocean

There existed in the skies of Arcadia many mysteries. People were unable to explore large portions of the world, and there was great debate on what lied beyond the sky rifts that crisscrossed across the planet. One of those was South Ocean- an area consisting entirely of a deadly crosswind that overpowered most ships instantly, and a deadly mix of massive debris that was constantly swirling around huge destructive vortexes inside. For ages it had been impassable- everyone that even attempted crossing usually met the Moons.

Vyse felt no small amount of trepidation as the distortions in the sky drew closer. Drachma decided to share what limited knowledge he had of the mysterious area. "Listen up, and listen good, kids. This area is widely accepted to be the hardest place in the world to sail through. Although I'm not sure about a lota things, we can take some measures to increase our chances."

"Like praying?" Vyse suggested quietly, for which the reply came, as it often did, in the form of a large metal fist. "Ow!"

"Wiseass," Grumbled the fisherman. "No. We're going ter draw in all sails and secure the masts so they don't get ripped off by the winds. Boy, you're going to help me with that, while the girls will secure metal braces along the hull of the _Little Jack_. I don't know just how strong the winds are, but I don't want us torn inteh pieces."

Fina nodded. "A wise precaution. Cupil thinks he can help you two by cutting high cables on the rigging."

"Good thinkin'," Drachma acknowledged. "Now we got a lot to do and not a lotta time ter do it in. Get movin', everyone." In about a half an hour of working, they had removed all the sails and reinforced the masts with steel braces, welding additional support beams below the decks. After finishing their tasks, they met again on the bridge. "Alright, boy, give us a report."

"All sections of the armor are at maximum strength," Vyse said. "We are nearly topped off with hydraulic fluid and moonstone reserves are good. The engine is in excellent condition and helm controls are responsive. All rooms are secure, and shock absorbers should ablate some of the winds. Um... I think we're good to go."

The old man nodded in satisfaction. "We're as ready as we can be. I just hope it's good enough. We're approachin' the entrance to South Ocean. Everyone, man your stations."

As the _Little Jack_ came closer, they saw just how bad it looked. The skies were a cloudy gray that stretched out to the horizon, putting them in mind of Valua's weather. Enormous cyclones rippled through the sky in plain sight, and wings blew millions of tiny pieces of debris all around the air. "Full throttle, boy. Everyone, in order to stay on course, someone will have to constantly watch the helm. We'll rotate shifts. After five hours the next person'll take over. Just keep us headed forward."

The engines roared as the ship flew straight into the ocean. "The deep breath..." Aika said, and then the ship began to rumble and groan. "... and the plunge." They were underway.

0-0

"My arms are stiff," He complained for the millionth time, only to himself as the rest of the crew were below decks. The wheel seemed possessed by an evil spirit to spin and leap around and random angles, which of course he couldn't allow. They were making steady progress, as far as he could tell, but the going was slow. Wind speeds topped 150 kph around the hull.

Every once in a while, a really quick piece of debris would lash into the armor. Built to withstand cannon fire, the steel did not yield, but eventually dents and cracks began to appear from repeated unlucky impacts. The noise was like hale, which they occasionally had back on Pirate Isle in the winter months.

The ship was racked by an impact unlike any before, and shuddered dangerously. _Woah! That almost felt like an explosion.._. He turned to the talking tube. "Captain, did you feel that?"

"O' course," Drachma replied. "Time for your shift to end anyway. I'm comin' up to meet you and take over. Join the girls and sweep the ship for damages from whatever hit us. I'd rather know now than in battle." After a little while, he lumbered onto the command deck. "Well? Get goin'."

"Aye," Vyse said, relinquishing the controls and stretching his arms out gingerly as he rushed below the deck. "I don't care how much time I spend aboard this ship," He noted as the two girls waiting for him in the main hold looked up, "I will never, never, _never_ get used to this damn stink of fish. I mean, come on. We don't even have any skyfish aboard and it still smells like they've been festering around."

"I don't know," Fina said quietly. "I think it's actually quite interesting."

"Interesting? Oh come on. It makes me _violently ill_ just thinking about the inside of this ship," He said, unaware he was complaining quite loud enough for the talking-tube to pick it up and relay it to his grumpy Captain.

"If you don't like being inside, I could send you out onto the deck to check the wind speed," Rumbled Drachma in annoyance.

"Uh, no sir, I'm fine here," Vyse said nervously. "Well, let's get started."

Aika nodded. "Alright. First stop is the lifeboat hangar. Those better be ok or this journey will get twenty times more dangerous." _Little Jack_ was equipped with two lifeboats, each of which could hold two people and were stocked beforehand with 50 kilos of rations, a set of blades for defense, a toolbox, and some spare gold. They were mounted on motor-driven launchers in the rear of the ship, and had only marginally escaped destruction during the fight with Admiral Belleza at Pyrynn.

They slid back the doors, only to have a torrential wind assault them, nearly knocking them away. The mechanical launch-door at the back of the hangar was open, and admitting mighty winds. "What the hell," Vyse yelled, barely audible over the horrible roar.

Unable to hold their footing, all three of them were pushed back. They didn't notice what had emerged into the hallway until she closed the door behind her. Vyse looked up and blinked. They had a new guest. Her hair was snow-white, with dark, cold eyes and pale skin. She wore a black leather and metal outfit that exposed her midriff. Of note was a blue cap she wore with three feathers, of unknown origin. As if her appearance wasn't enough to leave an impression, she wielded an enormous scythe-weapon that was approximately as tall as she was, if not more so. "Vyse, the Blue Rogue," She said, her voice full of cold fury. "The Angel of Death has come to claim you."

"How did you get aboard the ship?" He demanded, stunned. "The wind force out there is devastating, and we're in an uninhabited, uncharted region of the skies!"

"I never loose sight of my targets," She replied. "Nothing, not even the rigors of South Ocean, will impede my pursuit of you, Vyse. Nothing ever has."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Aika demanded, drawing her boomerang and preparing to fight. "Haven't you only been tracking us since we busted out of Valua a few weeks back?"

"No. My quest for Vyse has been seven years in the making," She replied. "I am Piastol, a bounty hunter who specializes in the brutal elimination of air pirate filth. You are air pirate filth." She squinted. "The scar!" She exclaimed, pointing at him. "I knew it! It is you! I have come to make you pay for your sins, in blood!"

"Um... what?" Vyse blinked. _This angel lady sure knows how to make a first impression... although I am a little flattered that she would brave South Ocean, all just for an attempt on my life._

"Do not attempt to play yourself off as ignorant!" She yelled. "Now die! _En guarde_!" With that she rushed forward, and made an attempt to cleanly behead Vyse by swinging her powerful scythe. In alarm, he ducked and barely avoided the blow, leaping away and drawing his own cutlasses.

"You're crazy!" He accused, deflecting a second attack aimed at him by crossing his swords in a defensive posture. "Aika! Fina! Little help would be much appreciated here!" He rolled away as she brought down the edge of her weapon into the wood, splintering it as a small bit of silver energy discharged.

Cupil watched Aika throw her boomerang, morphing into that shape and flying out. The two projectiles hit Piastol in the back and made her fall forward. "Ow!" She exclaimed, reaching back and narrowing grabbing hold of Cupil before it could return like Aika's weapon did. It squeaked and shifted shape, floating away quickly to escape. "Foolish girls! Moons, Give Me Strength!" She began to cast Eterni, aiming it for the red-haired girl.

Vyse stopped her by launching a wind strike, which she rolled away to avoid as the silver light faded away. "Hey, I still don't know what your deal is, but I have a real problem with you trying to hurt my friends!"

"Oh, no, you only allow innocents to be hurt, hm?" Piastol retorted, leaping to her feet with her blinding speed and performing her own variation of the wind strike, which sent Fina into the wall.

"Fina!" Aika cried out, running over to her.

"I'm ok," She assured her friend, standing back up and screaming as the Angel of Death followed up with a charge. Rushing forward, her scythe suddenly stopped moving less than a meter from Fina, and she looked back. Cupil was pulling back on the feathered end of the weapon with all his strength, having morphed into the shape of a clamp. "Why are you doing this?" She demanded sadly as Piastol attempted to wrench her weapon out from the clamp's grasp.

"Silence," She screamed, and suddenly tossed the weapon back. Unprepared for this, Cupil was smashed against the wall by the scythe's pole, and squeaked in pain. Using her fist, she attempted to punch Fina. The Silvite girl dodged it, and instead she dented the wooden wall.

Vyse slashed at her, trying to wound but not kill her. He met only air as Piastol leapt up, and landed on his blade with perfect balance. Giving the teenager no time to react, she kicked him in the face and he fell backwards onto the deck, loosing grip of his own weapon. His secondary cutlass came up and he coiled himself, leaping forward to both stand and attack. She was gone.

"You cracked my skyglass," He said in annoyance, as pain shot through his left eye. If the lens had been broken completely, glass shards would have blinded him. As it was, he removed the strap for the item and pocketed it.

"Here, let me crack some bones instead," She said, ready to charge him again.

The bounty hunter never got that chance. Aika said, "Back Off! Alpha Storm!" And spun her boomerang rapidly, like a fan, while channeling her will through it. Beads of fire rotated from the point of the weapon, and soon a cyclone of burning energy exploded outwards, with her enemy in the epicenter.

Vyse grinned at the distraction, and said, "Cupil! Toss me my other blade!" The small creature struggled to get under the cutlass, and then threw it up. Vyse expertly caught the handle, bringing it around and gripping the hilt while beginning to channel his own will into his weapons. His blades glowed blue and he waited. When the Alpha Storm stopped, Piastol looked only mildly damaged, but it was quite a distraction enough. He rushed in to continue the job, striking quicker than the eye could track. Explosions appeared in the air from the force of the impacts. "Cutlass Fury!" He yelled, leaping up and delivering his final blow, the most devastating.

Cut, bruised and burnt, the Angel of Death found herself utterly beaten. She breathed shallowly, her eyes still blazing with defiance as the three Blue Rogues approached her. "How... how could this be? How could I loose to a lowly... Air Pirate?"

"Sorry," Vyse smirked. "I'm a little bit too young to die just yet. Come back in... 50 years? 60? By then I'll be fully prepared to keel over. In the meantime, how about telling us why you just tried to murder us? Well, other than the bounty, of course."

"I don't have to tell you anything," She sneered. "Too bad your memory is not better." Despite her injuries, she stood up, and pointed right at Vyse's heart. "I am the Angel of Death, and I swear by that cursed name that I will hunt you down and rip your vile heart out myself!"

"That's going to be a challenge, since you're our prisoner and all that," Aika said skeptically. "Now you might have gotten in here somehow, but I doubt you can fly like an angel, especially in South Ocean, so you got nowhere to go."

Vyse nodded. "You two tie up the prisoner and escort her to the cargo hold. Make sure not to knot too tight, Aika. I'll go report to the Captain about this... encounter." He exited the hallway, walking up the stairs and onto the bridge. "Hey Captain? You know how you like to hear stories? Well I got one for you that you're not going to believe."

0-0

"Well, boy, I have to give you credit. I don't believe yeh. But you got an ugly mark on your face, so either you did something to annoy Aika (very likely) or you was in battle (unlikely)." He held his mechanical arm on the wheel, easily controlling it's spin.

"I'm telling the truth," He asserted with a sigh. "We even took her prisoner. I stuck her down in the cargo bay until we can figure out what to do with her."

"Like we needed anything else to complicate matters," Drachma pondered. "Well, did you at least close the lifeboat doors?" Vyse nodded. "Good. No one knows just how big South Ocean is, so we might be in for a long journey. Days, possibly."

"Days of nonstop sailing?" Vyse shrugged. "That sounds alright to me."

"I thought it would," He huffed. "Well, I'll handle things up here. Go on down and take some time off, boy. Don't be doin' no hanky panky with the girls if yeh can avoid it, neither, because you're cleaning up afterwards."

Vyse blanched. "Captain!"

Drachma said, "I'm serious. I know about you teenagers. You're like a buncha rabbits, I tell yeh. Rabbits in heat. The point is, hands to yourself and encourage them to do the same."

"I'll... remember that," He said in deadpan, and walked down below the decks again, shaking his head. _Yeesh, just how old is he? And man is he wrong. I wouldn't dream of doing anything with Aika and Fina! Especially not together._ Vyse liked to think that as he walked down the steps, but he was never a very skillful liar, especially to himself.

What he saw as he emerged from the staircase made him gasp. Aika and Fina laid on the floor, and the door to the cargo hold was open. "Ah, crap!" He ran over, kneeling next to Aika. "Aika! You alright?"

"I'm fine," She said, pouting to the floor. "Damn that girl is fast. She stole one of the lifeboats after knocking us down and escaped."

"She took out a lifeboat in these conditions?" Vyse asked, shaking his head. "She must be crazy." Blue Rogues especially knew that the small escape craft made very poor ships for a long and hard journey.

Fina moaned quietly. "I don't think I like Piastol very much... she's mean."

"There's a great way to put it," Vyse nodded. "C'mon, get up. There's nothing we can do about it now. If she comes back we'll just beat her up again, and next time she won't slip away. Maybe she'll even reveal the purpose for her murderous stalking." _Doubtful._ He offered a hand to Aika, and then Fina, as they slowly stood.

"I told you, back on Sailor's Island," Aika said, "That having an 'Angel of Death' was a bad thing."

"That you did," He admitted. "So, what do we do now?"

"What did the Captain say?" Fina asked. Vyse had been hoping neither of them would ask that question, because he would need to answer.

"He told me, and I quote:" He did his best rumbly, grumpy old guy impression, and continued, "Don't be havin' no hanky panky, boy." He smirked as Aika giggled.

"He actually said 'hanky panky'? Come on. he must be like 200." Aika snorted.

"Excuse me," Fina started, but before she could continue both Vyse and Aika flawlessly predicted the question. She asked anyway. "What is 'hanky panky'? I have never heard that expression."

"You take this one," The redhead ordered.

"What? Why should I?" Vyse countered, turning slightly red.

"Because I took the last one," She replied, flushing. "It's only fair that we should start rotating embarrassing questions."

"Yeah, how about we start rotating who the Captain brutally hits with his huge iron fist, too," Vyse suggested angrily.

Aika conceded the point- those beatings did not look fun. "Maybe we should all continue to stick with what they're best at." She turned to Fina and leaned in, whispering into her ear. Fina turned red, and gasped.

"Oh, my," She said, looking down. "Oh... my."

"Yeah," Vyse agreed. "I mean, on most other things he's pretty knowledgeable, but come on." He decided that if he said it, it must be true, then and there. "I would never think of doing that with you two."

This reassured the timid Silvite slightly, and she nodded. "I know. Even though you are a male, you are remarkably charitable and noble."

Aika looked down. "So... you wouldn't even think of it?" Despite the continual drum-beating against the armored sides of the _Little Jack_, everything in the hallway seemed in relative silence as she waited for an answer. When Vyse looked over to curiously, she continued. "You don't find me attractive at all?"

"That's not it," He replied solemnly, blushing. "Really, Aika. You're very beautiful. But it wouldn't be proper for us to do that... and neither of us is ready."

"Yeah," She nodded, her voice as quiet as Fina's. "You're right." A sudden shift happened, and she looked up with a grin. "Wow, that was a really thoughtful and intelligent answer, Vyse. Maybe I'll have to re-think my opinion of you."

Vyse didn't loose a moment. "What, defeating an ancient super weapon and two Valuan admirals wasn't enough for you?"

"Of course not," She replied, sniffing snootily. "I only expect the best."

"But the best doesn't expect you," He noted. "I'll tell you what. Why don't we introduce our alien friend here to a little Albatross?" A playful gleam entered her eye.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Vyse," Aika nodded. "Fina, Albatross is one of the many games that some Blue Rogue under Dyne thought up because he was bored. That's how all great technology on Arcadia came from- boredom or dire need. Anyway, it's a card game played with a deck of these." She pulled out a leather pouch bound by a length of common string. They sat down on the wooden deck of the ship and she unfurled it, pouring out the playing cards. There were one hundred of them.

"Oh, they look beautiful," She remarked. The designs on each card were incredibly intricate, with layers upon layers of various materials creating mysterious collages of artwork. "How did you make them?"

"Everyday items- glue, beads, bullets, etc. Everyone's Albatross deck is different and unique because of that." Vyse pulled out his own deck- it was a much more standardized group, with the main components being small shards of depleted moonstones and loquat paint. "Vyse's looks more dull because he has no imagination."

"_Or_ maybe I was just too busy doing shit like I was supposed to for some game," He retorted. "Dad worked me the hardest of anyone, I think."

"You think? That's news to me," She asked in mock-surprise. "Anyway, here's how the game is played." She proceeded to explain the mechanisms of the game, and Vyse repeatedly emphasized how complicated it was and how Dyne had vowed to find the crewman who made up all the obscure rules and have him walk from the plank.

Despite it's complexity, they had an enjoyable time, especially once Fina grasped the concept of keeping her hand a secret from her friends. Vyse retrieved a barrel of loqua from the cargo hold, depositing it near the girls.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Aika asked. "We don't know if Fina can handle her loqua." Loqua, along with gold, sailing ships and the spoken word, was a commonality shared by all societies of Arcadia. Made simply by smashing the ubiquitous loquat berries and collecting the juices that flowed out, it had a surprisingly intoxicating effect. Operating machinery or weapons while under the influence was discouraged everywhere and outlawed where laws existed.

"Wise?" Vyse snorted. "Aika, we came with her on a quest to oppose Valua and fight six ancient guardians of death that caused Armageddon. Wise was never a guidepost for our actions."

"Boy," Drachma's voice grumbled from the stairs, "Who told yeh that yeh had permission to get into my loqua reserve, and more to the point, I need all of you aware for your shifts. You go bat-shit at the helm and we'll all be at Deep Sky double-quick."

"Yes, besides, I've only had loqua once before," Fina said. "And that was when... um... you know, Aika..."

"Got you so drunk you couldn't tell which direction was up and needed me to tell you so she could try and get in bed with you and me, which worked because I was also drunk?" Vyse filled in, rattling off the long indictment like it was nothing. He was probably used to listing the redhead's trespasses. The Silvite girl only nodded. He turned to the stairs. "Oh, all right, sir."

"Good," Drachma acknowledged. "Didn't feel like 'convincin' yeh right now. Aika, you're up."

"Aye aye," She responded, bouncing to her feet and rushing up to the Bridge, and Drachma departed to his quarters adjacent the engine room, leaving Vyse and Aika alone in the depths of their ship.

Vyse leaned back against the ship indolently and sighed, staring at the ceiling while in thought. He didn't begin a conversation, but Fina wanted to talk to him. She found it much more difficult to talk to anyone individually. "Um... Vyse?"

"Yeah?" He replied quietly. "What's up?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," Vyse responded, turning his head and flashing her a smile. Despite this display, she could tell he was in a deeply thoughtful mood. "Fire away."

"What do you think about Aika? I... um, was just wondering because of what she said earlier."

Vyse sighed and leaned back. "You know? I don't know." He stared at the ceiling. "I'm a conflicting sea of emotions right now. It's hard to tell what I think. I mean, of course, she's pretty, been my friend most of my life... honestly, I feel something for you as well."

This made her face color rather nicely for a few moments. "Really?"

"Of course," He nodded. "You're a good friend. I've known you for, what, a month tops? That doesn't matter, because I feel like I know you. At least a little bit. Does that answer your question?"

"I suppose," She nodded. "I feel... similar about Aika."

"Really?" Vyse asked. "I figured as much." Sailors tended to be a little more open-minded than most people, especially Blue Rogues, who were the antithesis of established thought. For the timid Fina to admit something of that magnitude took a lot of her courage. They lapsed back into silence, having nothing to say.

Vyse spoke up this time, changing the subject. "Hey Fina, what do you know about the Green Gigas, in case our luck holds out and we have to fight him?"

"Um..." She wracked her memory. "The Gigas of the Greenites was named Grendel, I believe. It is land-based, like Recumen was, but this one was humanoid in shape. They might have crafted it from images of their god, that was common... it has great strength and it's skin is made of a material as strong as the Red Gigas but much more flexible. It is about one hundred meters high."

"Sounds like a lovely host," Vyse said. "Who knows, maybe this time we actually won't have to fight a gigantic robot-thing just to get a crystal." _Oh Moons, I probably just jinxed us._

They all ate separately, a meal of Nasrian food purchased while in Maramba with a fraction of their spectacular profits from selling the Rune of Ill Omen. Drachma had advised everyone to eat the spicy foods first, as it would conserve the large supply of rations aboard and the Nasr food would be the first to go bad in the cargo hold. Fina assumed the helm two hours later, and with Cupil's assistance continued their course as night fell on Arcadia. They managed to avoid the vortexes, which actually pushed the fishing sloop away instead of pulling them in as they should have.

Drachma finally emerged to take over, when he grunted. "Hey, you see that?" A small cluster of leaves were fluttering through the air in front of them, and several more could be sighted up ahead. They were still green. He turned to the talking tube. "You two, get up to the bridge. We've sighted leaves, which means that land can't be far ahead."

"Aye," Vyse replied, and the two teenagers joined their shipmates. The debris impacts began to lessen, but he said, "Man, all that against the armor for half a day on end... the sides of the ship must be cracked up to Deep Sky." Indeed, the combined efforts of millions of rough particles created intricate spider-web crack patterns into the green reinforced armor, and the wooden masts had been worn away as if by erosion. Somehow, the viewscreen of the bridge was only marginally damaged, probably due to the direction of the winds not facing it.

He grinned. "But we've finally made it across South Ocean! Man, are we awesome or what? They'll need to write a _new_ history book just for us."

"I am sure that these leaves came from Ixa'taka," Fina said, relinquishing control of the helm to Vyse, who felt more at home with the controls. "Ever since ancient times, the lands under the Green Moon have been covered in lush forests. It's been blessed with fertility."

"Blessed lands, huh?" Aika said, idly leaning up against the dashboard of the ship. She envisioned the lost continent in her mind. "If that's true, I'll bet that there are lots of stuff to eat. I can just see it now- fruits and vegetables of all sizes, shapes, colors and tastes..."

Vyse looked over. "I'll bet that there are just as many monsters roaming through the forest, you know. Hunting for people stupid enough to sit down eating fruits all day."

"Hey," Aika objected in her best sad voice. "You didn't have to crush my hopes like that..."

Fina giggled. "If Aika was hungry enough, she might eat the monsters, too."

Aika threw her hands up into the air in exasperation. "Now, Vyse, see what you've done? You've got her doing it, too. What's worse is that she's on your side! I wouldn't mind if she were mocking you."

Fina blushed slightly, and said, "Oh... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to offend you..."

Vyse chuckled. "Fina, you still got a lot to learn about us." He peered into his repaired skyglass and spotted a landmass on the horizon. It was enormous. "Captain, we have sighting of land dead-ahead. That's got to be Ixa'taka."

"Alright, boy. The long and hard journey was tough on our fuel tanks, and we're nearly runnin' on fumes. See any structures?"

Vyse paused for a moment, then said, "Yeah. I see a village of some kind... I think. It's weird."

"Bring us in," Drachma ordered.

"Aye aye, Captain," Vyse said, adjusting course. _Green moonstone, here we come._


	9. Hospitality

Chapter Nine- Hospitality

When in the course of history an entire continent is cut off from any contact with outside powers, it often develops radically differently in people, culture and wildlife from anywhere else. Valua and Nasr were always near, and always opposed, but their societies were relatively similar, while the Mid Ocean islands took a little of both. All were fairly homogeneous states. Ixa'taka was not what they were expecting at all.

To make cities, Valuans erected massive slobs of metal and concrete. The Nasrians carved it out of noble granite. Mid Ocean residents felled mighty timbers and combined them for a solid material. Ixa'takans built amongst the trees which were so in abundance. A village was a set of large platforms on which all buildings and what industries they had were situated.

Horteka was one of the few villages that had only been moderately touched by the cold hand of Imperial conquest. They had a workable shipyard, and the _Little Jack_ was allowed to land. They worked together, dropping the anchor and securing the ship on the deck of the enormous tree branch that was now their port of call.

The engine coughed and sputtered, dieing moments later into silence. Drachma grumbled. "Looks like our reserves are completely dry, boy. We ain't goin' nowhere 'till we get some more moonstones."

Vyse nodded. "Alright. I wonder what the people of Ixa'taka are like." They grabbed their gear, items and weaponry, equipping themselves fully and locking down the controls and the bridge. When they had squared away themselves, they descended off the side down a boarding platform down onto the bark. "Woah... this is all just one... really big... tree!"

Fina chimed in. "The Greenites were the civilization most in touch with nature, and were a naturally more chaotic race. Their technology centered around living things, and their medicine was the best in the Old World. It was rumored they could cure any cancer without using surgery, but only chemical treatments." For most Arcadians, if they were diagnosed with the fatal disease at all, it was a matter of dire surgery.

They walked down the large branch, which oddly seemed completely abandoned. "Something's off," Drachma rumbled. "First people out of South Ocean in a thousand years and we don't rate a greeting party."

Reaching a wooden platform, they emerged into the side of the twisting maze of passageways and ramps which consisted of the village. Usually hidden by dense layers of leaves and thick branches growing overhead, it suddenly opened up to them as they entered. While they stood for a moment, taking their time surveying the large population center, a crowd began to gather. The people of Horteka had, as a rule, ebony skin, wore rags or robes, and had odd-looking masks on. A dozen of them also had hunting spears. None of them spoke.

"Um... why don't they say anything?" Aika finally asked when the crowd had grown to over a hundred interested villagers.

"Aika, we don't even know if these people have ever heard Valuan before, much less can talk it fluently enough for us to understand," Vyse observed. "Or the opposite problem could be true- If Valua was here, and they spoke with the natives like we are, and then turned on them, killed and enslaved a lot of their people... well, I just hope guilt by association doesn't run in Ixa'taka's justice system."

After he had finished, the hunter in the front of the group spoke up in heavily accented, but understandable, Valuan. "Are you Quetya?"

"Are we... what?" Aika blinked. "What's that?" Vyse shrugged.

"Is the girl in the white clothes... is she Quetya?" Vyse and Aika both turned to look at Fina, who appeared just as lost as the two Blue Rogues. She looked between her friends for a moment, then her eyes lit up with understanding.

"Does he mean me?" She asked timidly, blushing as all eyes began to turn to her.

"Um... we're Blue Rogues," Vyse attempted evenly, "We came across South Ocean."

"You are not Quetya," Judged the hunter, his tone turning dour. "You are just like the other men from the East. It is best if you leave soon." With this taciturn dismissal and notification that they were not welcome, the group quickly broke up, all the villagers walking any direction but theirs and seeming to forget their very existence.

"Well, that was a failure in communication," Drachma rumbled. "We need ter get some more information, and some fuel while we're at it. Let's get to this village's leader."

Vyse nodded. "Aye aye, Captain." He looked over- there were five ladders, two poles, and a wooden multi-leveled slide that all led off their platforms onto distant other ones, often winding and weaving between paths. "Um... maybe we should ask for directions." He walked up to one of the villagers still milling about in their general vicinity. "Excuse me? Can I ask you a question?"

"I want nothing to do with you," The lanky man replied flatly. There was no inflection of good emotion in his voice, and although he had a mask on Vyse could guess his expression.

"Oh, come on," He said. "We're visitors, we don't mean any harm..." He paused for a moment. "Take me to your leader? Please?" Since Arcadia did not have cinemas, Vyse did not realize how many esteemed readers he had just caused to groan in pain.

"So you can capture him? No," The villager denied. "Leave this place, Eastern man."

"Can you at least tell us where we can get some fuel?" He tried again. Vyse was also known to be quite persistent.

The villager sighed. Answering this question wouldn't probably be too harmful, and it would get the teenager out of his hair without bloodshed being required. "To the east, five levels down, leads out to the edges of a branch. There lies what remains of your kind. Pester them, and do not pester me." With that he walked off. Having obtained some actionable intelligence, Vyse didn't follow.

"Nice diplomacy work," Aika said, giggling.

"Hey, at least I got us a destination. Let's go." He leapt up to the ladder that lead down and to the west, and began to descend. Drachma followed him, and then Aika did, and Fina was last on the procession. After a long time Vyse finally leapt of the ladder, landing on solid ground again. A passageway led into the deep brush that surrounded the village, but there was light on the other side.

When they emerged, they found the remains of a metal ship resting in a clearing at the edge of the island, to their surprise. It was covered in several types of vines, and seemed rusted completely over. Several children were playing across the field, and a small tent sat near the ship along with toolboxes and supply crates. A woman stood near the boarding ramp up to the ship.

There were three children- one was of the village, and looked over the four visitors with eyes wide. The other two ran off and said, "Mommy! Mommy! More Blue Rogues is here!"

Vyse greeted the woman when they were within earshot. "Hello! I am Vyse, of the Blue Rogues."

"Greetings," She said. "I am Cheryl, also of the Blue Rogues." She smiled simply. Her faces slightly worn but it had an honest good cheer. Her hair was long but tied back, and she wore a simple, unassuming attire. She did not look like an Air Pirate.

"You're a pirate too?" Aika asked. "Is this your ship?"

A young man leapt off the side of the ship, landing easily next to the woman. "Who is this?" He asked. He had fairly beautiful features, with large, blue eyes and neat medium-length red hair that covered a part of his face. He was dressed as a mechanic, and was holding a wrench in his and.

"Indeed, this is the _Ironclad_, our ship. This is Hans, he is the chief engineer."

"Chief engineer in training," He replied modestly. "I still have a lot to learn. Of course, the learning would be a lot quicker if we had our captain back..."

"Your captain?" Aika asked. "Did something happen to him? Wait... _Ironclad_... I've heard of that ship before... wait, you're the crew of Centime the Tinker!" Centime was one of the more famous air pirates. A kindly genius who loved nothing more than invention and building new things, and who took in orphans and nurtured them. For some reason, Valua had declared him a dangerous and wanted criminal, although he was one of their most non-threatening enemies Vyse could think of.

"Yes," Hans nodded. "We made an... interesting landing here after one of our Captain's new modifications to the engines became... delicate."

"Just what I'm looking for in an engine," Drachma pointed out, "Delicate nature."

"Yeah," He agreed. "After a while we convinced the people here to trust us a little, although we're still not buddy-buddy with the chieftain. Centime could even make the Ixa'takans like him, especially when he showed them how to use pulley technology to help build their platforms. When Valua attacked, they saw his potential, and took him as a hostage to force him to work. Somehow we managed to escape. Now we're trying to get the ship operational again to mount a rescue."

"Where's he being held?" Vyse inquired.

"Um... that is one of the hitches in our plan," Cheryl admitted. "We don't know. The villagers may know something we don't, but they aren't going to tell it to outsiders without some major convincing."

"If you'd like, while we're on our own mission, if we find him we could give him a hand?" She suggested.

"You would do that?" Hans asked. "Oh, of course you would- fellow Blue Rogues never leave a man behind. Thanks. Why did you come here in the first place?"

"We need fuel," Drachma grumbled. "We been travelin' for a bit now and South Ocean was not kind to us."

"South Ocean?" Echoed both of them, looking over in an astonished manner.

"You made it through. and did what no one has done for a thousand years?" The last person to ever sail through that region, reportedly, was the legendary pirate Daccat. Hans smiled. "That's pretty impressive. We happen to have a lot of spare fuel, especially considering that we aren't going to be moving very far until we have the Captain back. I'll go get some." He jogged up the boarding ramp, and soon came back with a bag laden with glittering stones. "Here."

"Thanks," Aika said, taking the bag. "This should be more than enough to send us on our way."

"It's not a problem," Cheryl said. "I'm sure if our roles would reversed you would do the same for us. Are you just here for a refueling stop?"

"Actually... no," Vyse replied, giving a reassuring glance to Fina, who was starting to look worried. "We're looking to talk to the village chief. Do you know where he is? The way this village is set up I couldn't find my own ass without a guide."

"Uh, Vyse? That's not the village's fault, you just aren't very skilled," Aika chimed in with a precisely-aimed shot. Vyse reeled at the impact.

"Oh, she's got me," He wailed, clutching his wounded heart. "Will I ever love again?"

"Quit foolin' around," Drachma ordered. "Or I'll have ye both swabbin' the deck next time we're in South Ocean." Both of the teenagers quickly fell silent. "Go ahead," He consented to Hans.

"Alright, here's the directions to the chieftain's hut. Don't expect a warm welcome, though."

"Oh, don't worry. We've already had our dose of good ol' Ixa'taka hospitality," Vyse assured him, risking the annoyed gaze of his Captain.

"Go to the second ladder on the right on the first platform, and then on the second platform ride the pole down 20.3 meters to the fifth slide, which will take you one-fifth of the way to the fifteenth platform, where you need to go to get to the eighty-seventh ladder which connects up to the ninth platform, which is directly connected via ladder to the second to last platform you need to go, which will convey you on the pulley-cart until you reach the general area of the platform of the chieftain." He paused for breath. "Got all that?"

"Yeah," Vyse assured him, although inside his own head he had already lost nine-tenths of the directions so far. "Um... thanks. That was really helpful."

Hans bobbed his head. "If you run into any Valuans in whatever it is you're doing, try and get out our Captain, ok? And then kick some serious ass for us."

"Got it," Aika nodded, giving him the thumbs-up sign. The group then struck out into the village again, intent on finding the chieftain and learning the location of the prized Green Moon Crystal.

0-0

"Um... are we lost?" Fina asked. Approximately an hour had passed since they had started out, and the village was only becoming more confusing along the way. Every single Horteka resident also seemed bent on not even being near them, which precluded the chance of any more assistance.

"Define 'lost'," Vyse said, beginning to loose all hope of ever leaving the lush, green prison system in which they were now entangled.

"Any time we let you lead us," Aika said sourly. The time had not worn well on the usually energetic and cheerful girl.

"That's it," Drachma commanded. "Half of our problem was we been dancin' around this place. Let's just move in a straight line and I'll lay even money we'll get there." As no one had a better idea or a need for a mechanical fist massage, the three teenagers followed his lead, straight in a random direction without trying to get diverted.

An entirely surprising thing happened then. It worked. In five minutes they had successfully located the chieftain's hut. Two sentries were posted outside, men at arms with long spears, but they parted to allow them entrance into the curtain that served as a door for the structure.

The leader of Horteka was a very old man. His skin was approximately the same tone as the villagers, and his aged eyes squinted as old men often seemed to do. He was clad in green robes, and sat atop a carved oak throne. The most striking feature of his appearance was his long purple beard and eyebrows, while he was technically bald. He spoke up as soon as the four of them had entered through the curtain, obviously possessing a mastery of Valuan. "So, you are from the East. Your people bring disaster. You should leave this village at once."

Vyse winced. _Ouch. Hans wasn't playing_. He tried to be diplomatic again, but the very long trek through a confusing and coldly hostile village had worn his nerves to dust. "Wait just a minute!" He demanded in frustration. "Why does everyone keep talking about this 'Quetya' stuff and 'Men from the East'? What is going on here? I don't even know what a Quetya is!"

"Quetya is a god, the divine protector of Ixa'taka," The chieftain replied calmly. "Over two thousand years hence, when the Giant came to destroy us, Quetya appeared and saved our village. Ancient prophesies predict that if danger befalls us again, Quetya's messengers will come from the East with salvation."

"Hence 'men from the east'," Aika said. "But wait. If we're supposed to be servants of this god Quetya, why is everyone treating us to the deep freeze?"

"Even now, the ones from the East are destroying our blessed lands," The man said. "They claim to come from a nation called Valua."

"Valua?!" Vyse said, surprised.

"Remember what that lady Admiral said, boy," Drachma reminded him. "She warned us that the Valuans had forces over here, so it's not really that surprisin'. I had my suspicions that they was the root of the problems here." _Valuans often are_.

He continued on as if he had never been interrupted. "The people from Valua claimed to be the vanguard of Quetya's divine army. They were welcomed with the greatest hospitality and love of our people. Even the King himself came to welcome them to our continent. They said they wanted moonstones- we took them to the Sacred Mount, where we store glowrocks."

"So, the Valuans came to steal their moonstones," Fina deduced, holding her hands one with the other in front of her lap and frowning.

"And then the people of Valua attacked us with their fire-breathing iron ships. They seized control of the Sacred Mountain. We did not go quietly- all fought, even the King joined battle with the Valuans. There was much death and destruction. In the end, they defeated us... and took most of the survivors as slaves for mining. Horteka is one of the last surviving population centers of my people."

"That's terrible!" Aika exclaimed. "They commit genocide, then take the remains of your race and work them to collect moonstones to make more weapons?!"

"Vicious cycle was never more vicious," Vyse noted lowly. "At least now we know why everyone is so against the 'Men from the East' and anything related to them." He stepped forward, kneeling before the chieftain in respect. "Please, you have to trust us. We are different from the Valuans. We're working to stop them from killing everyone... and that's why we need a precious item, known as the Green Moon Crystal."

The elder man paused, looking over the four foreign visitors intently. His stoic visage gave nothing away. Drachma grunted. "C'mon, you can't expect him just to trust us. You're wastin' yer time, boy!"

"Please, sir," Vyse pleaded, and the chieftain stared directly into his eyes for several more seconds.

He looked up, intentionally averting his gaze from the Easterners. He sighed. "... If you fly directly north from Horteka, you'll see a small hut floating just above the treeline. That is the hiding place of our King. The monarchs of our land have passed down for a thousand years the Sacred Green Stone. This may be the crystal that you seek." He looked back to Vyse. "Your eyes... they are pure. I see you are honest in them. Please, save my people..."

"Thank you," Vyse said, standing up. "I will not betray you." He turned to his crewmates. "Well, let's go! We got a continent to save." They nodded, and they rushed out of the building. Fina paused for a moment. "Fina! What's wrong?"

"Um..." She peeked back in the curtain. "Sir, could you give us... a guide, so we could find our way... back out of the village?" She smiled nervously.

The old man chuckled. "But of course. Guards! Take them to the village borders by the speediest route. Worry not, young one. Our paths are complicated, and difficult to follow by the eye of an outsider." The two grim Ixa'takan soldiers took them on a fairly direct path, and soon they were once again looking up at the stationary form of the _Little Jack_.

"Get movin'," Drachma ordered. "We mark our course north. Lift anchor and launch when ready." They jogged up the boarding ramp to the ship and all took up on the Bridge. Drachma pulled up the ramp behind him, back onto the deck as Vyse warmed the engines back up. Vents on either side of the badly shattered armored hull began to pour out volumes of steam, and the floor rumbled slightly.

The fishing sloop began to rise above the thickly concealed structures, turning as a wind once again caught it's sails and sent the large sheets flapping urgently. They rode on this source of power, allowing it to help them as they began to fly north.

When they had navigated across fiery Nasr, a barren emptiness of sand had been the setting for which they all remembered. Ixa'taka seemed almost the reverse of that- unending forests of old and tall trees, boundless life stretched out in all directions on the enormous, untamed continent. The gentle light of the Green Moon hung overhead, shining down near the sun, it's opposite as well in it's intensity and heat.

Another way it put one in mind of the desert nation was it's ample abundance of hostile creatures. Monsters by the droves flocked below, and occasionally a group of fliers would take an extra interest in their passing ship. Usually Drachma, Aika and Fina could employ the cannons to kill or drive off any enemies, but occasionally a few made it onto the deck, where more personal combat was needed.

A strange bird which resembled an enormous, mutated parrot landed first, squawking angrily, followed by two creatures that could only be described as floating coconuts, their furns at the top employed as rotors to keep them slightly afloat.

"What was that about delicious and rare fruits, Aika?" Vyse called smugly from the bridge, gently nursing the controls of the fishing frigate.

"Shut up and drive," Was the witty retort that followed her well used battle-cry. "Moons! Give Me Strength!" Spells of the Red Moon were proving most effective against all types of enemies so far, and she gave them a Pyri spell. The odd coconut-beings instantly caught fire and panicked, flying away again and trailing smoke, while the bird monster lost a majority of it's feathers.

Reacting angrily, it slammed it's wings into the air and barreled straight for Drachma. For it's troubles, he met his stationary steel fist, all of it's momentum crushing it's face into a bloody pulp. He followed up with a solid shove, which sent it tumbling to the forest canopy below.

Vyse blinked, squinting into his skyglass and magnifying the distant horizon. A solid curtain of billowing smoke emerged, just within sight. "What the hell... Captain! It's a forest fire!"

0-0

Admiral DeLoco never did like anything that ruined his fun- in that respect, reflected Vice Captain Lucas, and many others, he was just like a child. His face was even oddly shaped, wrinkled yet small, like the older man he was. Even by Valuan standards, he was completely psychotic. Murderous and foolhardy, the only reason he was tolerated was exactly the feature that made him so dangerous- he was brilliant. Beyond brilliant, he was possibly the smartest man alive, in terms of pure intelligence. He had furnished the Imperial forces of Valua with many useful upgrades that increased their capacity to kill their enemies.

The forests of Ixa'taka were ruining his fun- they concealed the location of the Green Moon Crystal, which he had been tasked to find by the Empress herself. His response to the problem was to set a torch to it. All of it. His torch was a massive spray-can attachment to his ironclad flagship, the _Chameleon_. It was painted green, and only by the most vague standards was shaped like the stealthy namesake.

They had been decimating the entire forest of the main continental mass- hundreds of hectares of lush green gave way to the insatiable flames. DeLoco was enjoying himself watching the indiscriminate and wholesale destruction. "Yesss," He hissed, cackling madly, "Obliterate! Burn! Ruin! Leave _nothing_ to obstruct my ultimate plans!"

"Admiral DeLoco," Lucas called out, reading a report from the radar. "We have a contact approaching at cruising speed from the south."

"Yes, that is called a _bird_, these pesky forests tend to be _full_ of such foolish creatures," The mad scientist said in a tone that was no doubt intended to be highly condescending. Then he found himself angry at birds for no observable reason. "Damn birds! Flapping around with their wings, mocking my precious _Chameleon_ with their... their beaks! I'll show them! Ready all cannons and blast that carrion out of the sky!"

"B-but Admiral," He objected. "The report says the object has a metal and wood profile, and it's on a controlled flight. We think it's a ship."

"Oh? More of those savages? When will they learn that they have been utterly crushed?!" Again he commenced cackling. "Oh, yes, many of them have died the most horrible deaths, and it was so fun... I laughed and giggled. Did you not as well enjoy the utter ruin we have wrought, Vice Captain?!"

"Um... we'll go with that, sir." Another crewman handed him a second report. "The crow's nest has visual sighting of the ship. It matches the description of the _Little Jack_ perfectly. There's no doubt- Vyse the Blue Rogue is aboard, and he's headed this way."

"Vyse, you say? Interesting." He pondered for a moment. _Hm... the boy that defeated the Valuan Armada and escaped the Grand Fortress... if I kill him, that old shrew will surely reward me._ "Muahah! Prepare for battle, men! We shall destroy those fools!"

"Sir," Vyse called out, squinting. "I see a ship ahead... it's torching the forest! This is horrible! Whoever that guy thinks he is, he's about to answer to me for this." A shell exploded in front of the prow, shaking the ship. "Apparently he also thinks he's Valuan."


	10. Broken

Chapter Ten- Broken

"We will crush their souls into dust, and they shall taste oblivion! Those fools don't stand a chance against us, do they men?!"

"No, sir," Confirmed several officers, some out of blood lust, some out of terror of answering the psychopathic admiral incorrectly. He routinely quizzed them about advanced aeronautics, and a wrong answer invited... unpleasant information gathering techniques.

"Stupendous!" He thundered, pounding the armrests of his command chair in a hyperactive furor. "To your battle stations! On to crushing victory!" There was a noticeable pause. "... what are you still doing there."

"Um... sir? Our battle stations are with you... on the bridge..." One yeoman replied in fear.

"_Silence_!" Roared DeLoco. "Very well, then! If that's the way you want it... then prepare for oblivion, for which there is no preparation!" Several deck officers exchanged bemused glances. "Victory is at hand! All will perish!"

"Admiral DeLoco," Vice Captain Lucas reported. "_Valencia_ and _Malevolent_ are preparing to engage the enemy!" Their escort consisted of two standard Gunboats, which had more firepower than the entire Ixa'takan fleet put together, just in case of trouble. Their cannons thundered away, although through the thick curtains of smoke everywhere it was not likely they would be able to take the _Little Jack_ under fire from afar.

"Whaaat?!" The insane commander reacted badly. "No, no, _no_! Tell those fools to return to the Mountain Base at _once_! We shall deal with these vermin personally. Do it now! I want the pleasure of killing Vyse with my precious, beautiful, invincible _Chameleon_!"

"By your will," Lucas replied, and nodded to a junior aide. "Signal them to break off attack and withdraw at once." He turned back towards DeLoco. "Sir, the flamethrower has seen heavy use and the technicians are reloading it's gasoline tanks now. What plan of attack do you wish to employ in the mean? All torpedoes and guns are prepared for your orders."

"This beautiful smokescreen will allow us to fire torpedoes without being seen! Then, when the time comes, we draw them in and _splat_! Roasted Blue Rogues, hot off the griddle! Muaha! Launch all forward bays now, and come about to port." _That pathetic little fishing boat's guns can only fire from the sides. I will entice them to test my incredible armor, and when they move in... the torpedoes will rend them mercilessly!_

Onboard the pirate ship, Vyse squinted. "... they've stopped firing, even their concussion shot."

"DeLoco's preparing something," Drachma huffed. "He might be small, obnoxious and insane, but he's also good. Real good. If we get hit by that flamethrower arm thing... we're done for. Dodge and counterattack, boy. As usual, speed'll be the factor." He ran out onto the deck with the girls. _With three gunners we'll be able to fire the cannons much quicker than usual_.

Out of the smoke loomed the figure of the _Chameleon_, which was to their side. "Captain, enemy sighted to starboard... what the hell? He's giving us a shot at him!" A broadsiding contest was not in the Valuan admiral's interest- he had only autocannons on the side, like the _Lynx_ had, and that arm looked like it wouldn't track fully sideways. He was going to allow the enemy to bring all their guns to bear, while employing only a fraction of his own.

"Somethin's real wrong here," Drachma said. "Keep an eye out for his treachery, everyone..." He paused, looking up into the sky. It was broad daylight, but already several stars glowed brightly in the sky... "Ah, damnit! Boy! Evasive action! Hard to starboard, _NOW_!" Obeying without thought, Vyse slapped the wheel and felt the ship snap into a different heading, the sails flapping wildly in protest.

A pillar of fire pushed itself into the air from the direct center of the ship, tossing debris high into the sky and nearly turning the ship over with violent movements. The support beams, even reinforced, creaked under the strain as structural integrity was compromised. "We're hit!" He said, watching a dozen new flames pass to either side of them, and hit the ashen surface below, exploding harmlessly. "Everyone, you ok?!"

For a second, he got no reply, leaving the helm to run out onto the damaged deck. The smoke shrouded everything as a veil. He saw through the smoke three figures- two slim and feminine, and the third the hulking frame of his Captain. "Hey! Guys!"

"They didn't get us," Drachma replied, coughing heavily. "But they sure came close. They hit us with a torpedo volley, while we were playin' right into that little asshole's hands."

"Torpedo?" Fina asked, delicately sitting up because the explosion had knocked her to the ground and possibly given her some sore bruises.

"Ah, s' a new type of weapon some Valuan engineers came up with a couple of years back," Vyse said. "Dad told me about em, in case we ever had to raid a ship equipped with torpedoes. They're little bombs fitted with rockets that shoot straight up into the air and come down, depending on where you aim 'em. Hard to get a hit, but as you can see... real effective."

"Well, it doesn't look like he got the guns or the engine, so we're still good to go," Aika said. "Cap'n, DeLoco's still under our guns, by the way! Should we hit him?"

"O' course," Drachma responded. "Fire all guns!" They lit the joint-ignition cord, and the cannons spoke out. Each one had been loaded with Driln enchantments, a Yellow Moon spell that weakened an enemy by sapping their strengths away. "Boy, get back to the helm and attempt to bring us into orbit of enemy. You two, help me reload with solid shot!" The yellow orbs flashed through the concealment, easy to spot as flares and explosions. Two of them easily hit DeLoco's side armor, and waves of electricity washed over the _Chameleon_, reducing it's firepower and armor's chemical bonds, weakening defense.

The enemy began to move- attempting to get behind them, they were slower and couldn't manage it. The ships ended up side-by-side for a moment, and DeLoco fired his autocannons in a burst. Pellets pierced the already weakened hull armor, shattering it and sending shards of broken metal cascading into the sky. The ship rumbled under the hits, before Vyse turned sharply. The Valuan pilots turned the other way, matching him, and the ships began to pull away from each other, although they circled back.

"Ready the Harpoon, boy," Drachma bellowed. "Let's finish this now." The two ships were now on an intercept course, and if allowed to continue would crash prows. Vyse armed their most powerful weapon, getting ready to fire.

DeLoco was thinking along the same lines. "Finally, those morons have furnished me with a _perfect_ shot with my flamethrower! Now... I will kill you! Muahahahahahah!" Lines of electricity crackled down the wiry mechanical arm that clutched the flamethrower, and the gasoline began to spark and ignite.

Vyse fired first- the harpoon was not aimed well enough, and did not penetrate the enemy. Instead, it sliced through the side armor of the _Chameleon_ like a hot knife assailing butter, ripping away a layer of steel and sending a cacophony of sparks into the air. The mad genius's ship was shunted sideways, and when the flamethrower discharged a cone of burning destruction, it missed completely.

_Little Jack_, having the advantage, reeled back their Harpoon Cannon and kicked into full rudder, beginning to circle the enemy. Now they had the superior tactical position. They were beginning to spoil DeLoco's fun, and he expressed it clearly. "No! How dare you... scratch my _Chameleon_ so?! You will pay with your blood, Blue Rogues! You'll see!" He was interrupted as a volley of cannon fire hit them in the weakened armor section, caving it in and causing wild chaos below the decks, as delicate machinery played trampoline for the fast black projectiles.

"Admiral DeLoco, we have sustained severe damage, and our engines are failing. We must withdraw," Vice Captain Lucas said urgently.

"NO! No retreat," He commanded, "A truly great machine never breaks! We must kill them! Side batteries, return fire! Get us behind them again! I will win yet!" The Valuan flagship began to move again, turning and climbing to escape the circling enemy. In response, Vyse pulled up as well and began to pursue.

Drachma noticed trails of fire billowing out from the top of the _Chameleon_'s torpedo tubes. "Boy, we got another volley incoming! Break off the attack!"

Vyse reluctantly obeyed, spinning the wheel and turning back towards the smoldering ruins of the forest below them. The fishing sloop had also sustained damage, and both of them assumed a wounded animal mentality, circling each other from a distance. The torpedoes plummeted through the sky, useless and not hitting anything but the ground.

"Girls, can you cast Sacri on the _Little Jack_?" Drachma asked. "I'll handle the guns- get to fixin'."

Aika nodded. "Should work. Alright, Fina. Concentrate. Moons, Give Me Strength!" A green runic sphere appeared over the ship, and shimmering fields of light enveloped the broken deck and shattered armor plating. The ship began to reform itself, as the metal armor came back together flawlessly, and generally 'healed' before the spell evaporated into light. Vyse tested the controls and found them more responsive.

"The enemy has assumed a stationary position," Vyse reported, squinting into his skyglass. _It almost looks like it's charging up for something..._

Drachma nodded. "Alright, boy, encircle 'em again but change your flight path- don't be predictable or we'll get zeroed for another torpedo surprise." They circled, like bandits circled Nasr desert convoys on the distant desert continent, while constantly moving up and down and randomizing their speed, making it hard to aim a torpedo attack.

"Captain?" Aika asked. "What's that?" She pointed to several small boxes that he was loading into the cannons calmly.

"Do you remember that Electres crystal trick you pulled to escape the Coliseum back in Valua?" Drachma asked, loading a total of five boxes into each gun and setting a small explosive charge on each box, proximity-timed. "If this works, we'll fry his electrical grid, and then his ship'll be so much floatin' junk. Alright, boy, give me a steady shot!" Vyse leveled out the controls, and the ship stopped ascending or accelerating. Drachma lit the fuse, and tracked the sparks as they wound their way up the cords to the cannons. A moment later they belched fire, and the small magical packages were on their way.

The sky exploded in yellow light. Only one of the Electres clusters had hit, but that triggered an enormous explosion, and chain-reacted to set off the other three charges, which combined into an epic sphere of destruction that enveloped the _Chameleon_ in charged air for several moments.

Onboard the ship, all the lights went out at once. Emergency backups cast a red sheen onto the bridge, while fires exploded from control consoles and the main engines shut down, along with every other electrical system on the ship. DeLoco was livid with fury, throwing a tantrum in his command chair and angrily decrying, "No, NO, _NOOO_! Impossible! I can't be defeated! This is all a dream... yes, that's it! _A DREAM, I TELL YOU_..." He fell silent, slumping back into his chair.

"Admiral, get a hold of yourself!" Lucas demanded, urgently shaking DeLoco's body armor-suit. He looked up. "Engineering, activate battery backups! The enemy has taken the day, we must withdraw. Set course for Moon Stone Mountain, one-forth steam!"

The Valuan Flagship _Chameleon_ retreated away from their enemies and the burning forests below, trailing it's own thick black smoke and shaking erratically. The younger crew of the _Little Jack_ let out a collective victory cheer, and Cupil did a few laps around the battered fishing sloop just to celebrate.

"We beat DeLoco, but the forests are still burnin'," Drachma grumbled. "Aika, Fina, ready the cannons with blue magic. Boy, aim us for a sweepin' volley." Employing powerful Blue Magics and their ship's cannons, they managed to get the roaring blazes under control eventually, stopping the fire before it could consume any more of Ixa'taka's primary landmass. Although much land had been consumed by the Valuan fire, and thus laid as barren, smoking ash, the damage seemed relatively minor.

The _Little Jack_ continued it's voyage to the north over the continent, and they had several hours to effect basic repairs such as patching up the holes in the deck before they sighed a tiny floating island dead ahead, nestled between two plateaus crested with healthy trees. It had a common wooden hut on it, but Vyse immediately knew it was the King's hideout. The ship itself was a little bigger than the building, so they just pulled alongside, anchoring and propping up a boarding ramp down onto the porch.

Leaving their ship, they entered the humble abode one at a time. Inside, several priests and guards stood around a throne that housed King Ixa'taka. He seemed surprisingly youthful, in sharp contrast to the chieftain of Horteka. Besides a unique hat-item, he was clad in a toga of white and purple, and his long hair was a teal color. The fact that he spoke a fluent form of Valuan was not surprising to them: for such a short time, the Valuans had been very effective in spreading death and language. "So, you are the people that have come from the Eastern Skies. The high priests informed me of your arrival. They also told me that you drove off the fire-breathing ship that was destroying our lands. On behalf of my people, I thank you."

"It was nothing, really," Aika replied, smiling. "We were just doing the right thing."

"I was driven from my sovereignty and forced to reside in this... hut. I'm sorry that I could not reward you properly for your service to Ixa'taka," The king admitted, looking down. "However, if there is anything I can do for you as the King, I will. Is there something I can do?"

"Actually, your Majesty," Vyse replied smoothly, "We were searching for the Green Moon Crystal."

"The Green Moon Crystal?" Ixa'taka looked up intensely. "Perhaps you speak of the legendary Sacred Green Stone. The men from Valua came looking for it, but I do not know where it is. However, if the Stone did exist, it would probably be within the Lost City of Rixis."

"Rixis..." Fina thought for a moment. "I believe that was the Green Civilization's capitol city back before the Rains of Destruction."

"You are correct," The king nodded. "E'en so- the legends tell of the buildings, even the streets, paved in solid gold."

"Gold?" Aika echoed hollowly. A moment later she was filled to the brim with energy, gesturing urgently. "Yesss! Gold! Gold! Gold! Let's hurry and find Rixis right now!" As Vyse had often noted in the past, even the fate of Arcadia paled in comparison to his friend's love of treasure. All treasure. Vyse turned to look at her, and she paused. "Erm... to make sure the Valuans don't get their hands on that gold, or the Crystal... of course."

"Of course," Vyse replied, frowning in a mistrusting manner. He turned back to the King. "Do you know where this Rixis is located?"

"I'm afraid we do not," Ixa'taka admitted, leaning into his chair slightly. "It has been lost to my people for generations- we now call it the City of Mists. It might not even exist anymore, as it has been thousands of years since anyone walked it's grand streets..." He paused. Inspiration struck him. "Of course... one of my high priests, Isapa, is our expert on all things relating to the Old World. If anyone were to light your way, it would be him."

"I see," Aika said. "Can we meet him, then?"

"I'm afraid that is most impossible," The monarch replied sadly. "He is not here. The Valuans took him to Moon Stone Mountain, a sacred place of ours that contains what you call moonstones. My advisors tell me they are using that place to mine material and as a base of operations in my lands."

"So the Valuans kidnapped one of yer high priests and 're holding him in the Mountain," Drachma huffed. "Well, boy, it's your call. What's the plan."

"Let's break into the moonstone mines on the Mountain," Vyse said confidently, giving the thumbs-up to all those around him. "We can rescue Isapa, and maybe Centime and more slaves they got."

"Sounds like our only option," Aika agreed. "The Valuans were desperate enough to torch the whole continent, and they still failed. Any search we tried would probably end just as bad."

The king looked up. "You are willing to risk your lives to save Isapa? Our sacred mountain is south of Horteka Village, but be careful. The enemy is legion, and we can not support you with our broken armed forces."

"Leave it to us," Vyse nodded. "We'll be back in no time with Isapa, after we kick some Valuans out of your lands. Let's go, everyone." They ended the meeting, and embarked quickly.

Drachma said, "All we're doin' is zigzaggin' round this continent like a maze. Burns fuel something awful... anyway, cruisin' speed for the south, boy. Let's get movin'."

"Aye aye, Captain," Vyse replied, spinning the wheel. "_Little Jack_, onward!" They made an uneventful trip, which in and of itself was worth note, as Vyse was becoming accustomed to mortal peril always looming over their heads. As they approached the Mountain, he began to fall back into his old habit.

Several warships of the Valuan Navy were patrolling the skies immediately surrounding the huge floating mountain that was unmistakably their target. In order to conceal their identities, they had brought out a captured Valuan flag and flew it, changing their ship registry to a cargo freighter that in real life did not exist.

A corvette that was about the size of their own ship pulled alongside, and an officer boarded. He looked over the assorted crew on the bridge and sniffed. "What is your business here, cargo ship..." He looked at his paperwork. "_Antipodes_, is it?"

"Yeah," Vyse nodded. "We're here to restock the supplies at your base."

The man spent a few more seconds on their papers, then nodded. "Very well. Proceed accordingly, but watch yourself. That DeLoco is a madman, thrice worse than these savages. And I didn't say that." With that warning, he left for his ship and they pulled away, passing through the blockade.

"Good thing he didn't think to cavity-search us," Aika said. "I hear they use a really big metal wand, and if you're a girl they take it and they put it up-"

"Aika," Vyse interjected, tightly gripping the wheel of the ship as they neared Moon Stone Mountain. "You're bothering Fina."

"Oh... sorry," She said, rubbing the back of her head and smiling to her Silvite friend as they proceeded outside and moored themselves onto a cliff path that spiraled around into a side-passage. Vyse turned off most of the engines, and they floated alongside the mountain, concealed from most viewers. "Alright! Let's rock and roll." She slid out onto the deck and helped set up the boarding platform.

Drachma said, "Remember, until the alarm is tripped, stealth is our best chance. And don't be doin' nothing stupid like usual, boy."

"Aye, sir," Vyse replied, drawing his weapons. His friends did the same, and they made their way single-file into the passageway. It was lit and braced, and had seen steady maintenance. They followed it until it came to a cross-section, and were about to move on when they heard voices. Retreating several meters so they wouldn't be seen, they listened to a patrol of guards pass them by. When they were well out of hearing they proceeded.

They were on an elevated walkway overlooking rail-car junction, where several Valuan soldiers menaced slaves and oversaw the loading of moonstone ore onto cars that went in a variety of directions. They continued, but the floor suddenly dropped several millimeters, causing them to stop.

"What... was that?" Vyse asked rhetorically. "It felt like we stepped onto a switch..."

0-0

An enormous ego is often a very dominating force in a room- two egos always clash and make reconciliation impossible. That described perfectly the air of DeLoco's office, where the recently demoted Vice Admiral Alfonso was standing. Metal implements were strewn about his steel desk, and pipes and ducts crisscrossed around the ceiling.

"So, DeLoco," Alfonso said in his naturally preened, condescending tone, "I hear that the air pirates have crossed South Ocean and are headed for us."

"Yes indeed," The psychotic genius nodded. "I engaged them north of Horteka. They... barely escaped _complete_ obliteration!"

Alfonso chuckled. "Yes, well... burning trees and burning Blue Rogues are two entirely different matters. Then again, I assume you would already know that." _I have my sources in this place as well, you old coot. Someone of my blood is constantly aware of their surroundings_. "Vyse is responsible for my demotion to... _this_." He gestured to the entire room in utter disgust.

"I will ensure he suffers, and prove to the world I am Valua's greatest Admiral. Soon, Galcian will be taking orders from me." He flicked back his hair. "Someone of my noble breeding should answer to none but the Empress Teodora Herself... well, DeLoco, thank you for this heartwarming chat. Now I'm off to exterminate some vermin." With that and a dramatic swish of his cape as he turned, the Admiral departed.

"Idiot," Commented DeLoco derisively. "And as for you, Vyse... oh, yes. You damaged my perfect _Chameleon_... you damaged it quite a bit... so I shall return the favor! For your foolish treachery, I will ensure you die a slow, horrible, gory death when next we meet! Muahahahaah! Yes! I am the greatest genius... ever! I will never be stopped again! All will perish who stand before me! Ahaha!"

His psychotic ramblings were interrupted by the tone of the intruder alert, and flashing red lights. "Hm? Someone has triggered the alarm? I wonder who would be so utterly foolish..." He stepped over to the glass floor, through which he could clearly see all four of the air pirates, including Vyse. "AH! Perfect! _Perfect_! You came back just for me... well, this time, I shall ensure your _obliteration_! Prepare, Vyse, for you will never leave these mines alive! NEVER! _AHAHAHAHAHA_!"

0-0

They emerged into a large hallway, on a walkway adjacent to a line of cars moving down a rail, loaded to the brim with raw moonstone ore. Walking uphill, the path split- one side going down, one side going up. They had no reason to favor one over the other, and picked the one headed down.

A lone Ixa'takan slave was working on a pile of ore in the corner, while a huge metallic jumble had a significant portion of the room walled off. He looked up as they entered and started talking in his native language.

"Um... what's he saying?" Vyse asked. "Damn, I forgot to take a language class before we set out on our quest to save the world..."

"I think I can help," Fina said. "His dialect is an evolved form of Greenite, which I have been trained to speak fluently. I believe he is saying... he's asking if we're new, noting our newness to these mines."

"Ask him where the prison cells are," Drachma commanded. Fina nodded, and spoke out a phrase in his language.

After a moment more, she blinked. "He says this whole mine is a prison."

"Fair point," Aika nodded. "Ask him if he's got any information we can use."

Another exchange. Fina sighed. "I might be hearing this wrong, but his phrasing is very cryptic. He told me that... 'a circle is not always the path for advancement'. Either he's preaching or it's related to the traps somehow."

"Oh well," Vyse shrugged. "Alright, Fina. Here comes the tough part... tell him to get down to the sub-levels and outside. There's a ship waiting there... gather up as many prisoners as he can, lead them to revolt, and wait for us. We'll rescue them once we get out of here." The Silvite nodded, relaying the message. She had to give it to him three times before he seemed to believe they were serious, and then quickly dashed out of the room. "That ought to keep some of the guards busy enough."

Aika giggled. "You know, growing up Dyne told me tales of people who were tried in Valua for... 'inviting servile insurrection'. I always wanted to do that... and here we are."

They proceeded further into the mines.


	11. False Expectations

Chapter Eleven- False Expectations

"... and then I will have the mush turned into a fine paste, and laugh some more at your agonizing molecular redistribution! Oh, yes I will! And after you are paste, I'm going to have-" DeLoco had been going solid for over an hour, threatening the unaware Vyse with a very wide variety of agonies and indignities, and looked to be able to continue for quite a while. However, he stopped as he saw Vice Admiral Alfonso enter his office. "-speaking of a fine paste."

"So sorry to interrupt another one of your intellectual monologues, DeLoco," Alfonso said carelessly, "But I have reason to believe that Vyse and his accomplices have breached our defenses and are in the base."

DeLoco glanced up at the flashing red lights that adorned the ceiling in crimson hues, and listened for a moment to the sirens that were still going off. "Oh really? What gave it away, then, to your truly _awesome_ powers of reasoning?"

Alfonso did not falter, merely flicked his hair back again. "Well, regardless of that, I have deployed my marines into the tunnels to supplement your guards, and ordered those experiments of yours released to roam about and see if they can't do some killing."

_You accessed my labs without my permission, oh, Alfonso, you are coming dangerously close to my annihilation list. That would be great fun._ DeLoco merely said, "Well, the situation will soon be under control anyway. Muahahahaah! That fool Vyse will be crushed! Now, where was I..." Alfonso left as DeLoco started up his train of thought again.

0-0

They soon encountered a narrow hallway with a metal strip across it, segmented into three parts- two had circle symbols on it, and the third had an x. Vyse blinked. "I smell a trap. Hang on, this is so obvious! It's gotta be the circle!" Before his friends could warn him, he had stepped on the circle platform to the left, and it fell out from under him. He followed, screaming.

"Vyse!" Aika said in alarm, running up to the new hole. "Are you ok?! Vyse?!"

"I'm fine," He replied, his voice echoing slightly as it bounced up to them. "I landed in some kinda rail car thing..." He shifted, trying to get more comfortable in the confined space. "What kind of shitty trap is that? I mean-" He was cut short as the car shuddered and began moving backwards, out of sight.

Drachma growled. "That boy is constantly gettin' his ass into trouble. And mine with it. We'll backtrack, and split up. And if I find him I'm gon' give him a lesson on bein' more careful." They split up, searching three separate parts of the small mine area they had explored so far.

Fina found Vyse, sprawled haplessly on the floor next to a stopped rail car on the ground. She blinked, running over to him. "Vyse... are you alright?"

Vyse groaned weakly. "I can't... go on... the pain... woe is me... etcetera..."

The Silvite frowned. "I was really worried about you for a moment there." Vyse grinned wickedly. "That was mean. I could have wasted a Risen spell on you when you were fine."

"Good to know you care," He said, springing to his feet and brushing off the dust. "I was just hoping to get a sick day off. I hate these mines already, and I hate DeLoco." A shadow loomed behind him. "Uh-oh."

"Boy! Yeh let your guard down!" Drachma roared, giving him a metal fist to the back of the head. "These mines're crawlin' with Valuan troopers... what if you weren't so lucky next time?!?"

"I don't feel very lucky," Vyse moaned, rubbing the abused area of his head in anguish.

"What was that?" The old man said, his voice low.

"I said we should probably find Aika and get going," Vyse said, laughing nervously. "Yeah, that's right. And to warn her about those traps. At least we know what that guy was talking about with the circles and stuff." A feminine scream echoed down the hallway, and everyone turned around in alarm.

Aika was running all-out towards them, pursued by five slimy monsters. The creatures had no fixed form, but slithered across the ground- a discolored tan jelly. "What the hell is that?" Vyse asked as she skidded to a halt in front of her friends.

"I don't know!" The redhead replied. "They're chasing me!"

"Why don't you just kill them?" Vyse asked, winding up his cutlass and letting loose a wind strike. "They don't look that tough..." As soon as his attack hit, his target exploded with force, knocking him back and setting off a chain-reaction which had all of the creatures in smoke in moments. "What? Suicide jelly?!" The explosions set off a tremor in the ground, causing dust and loose dirt from the ceiling to fall all around them.

Drachma frowned. "Probably one of DeLoco's twisted experiments. Kids, be careful. If we destabilize the tunnels, they'll collapse and we're all dead. We can't make em explode."

"But Cap'n, they'll explode anyway if they get too close," Aika objected. "I would know." She paused. "Wait, I have an idea. Me and Fina can use Purple Magic on them and freeze them solid! By the time they thaw out, assuming they can survive the deep-freeze, we'll be long gone."

"That's some good thinkin'," The old man nodded approvingly. "Girls, you have the point. Me and the boy will back you up in case we run into any Valuan soldiers. Hopefully from the rear of the group he can cause less of a ruckus!" Vyse shriveled under the angered glare of the fisherman.

The group continued through a winding series of tunnels, meeting and defeating via magic two more groups of the odd explosive jelly-creatures. They also ran across several poorly designed traps- once one understood that the x was the safe path, it was absolutely no challenge, and they advanced unchecked.

They passed over a metal walkway, and on the other side the tunnels began to be paneled in wood. "This must be the heart of the base," Drachma opined. "On your toes, everyone."

Soon enough they encountered a squad of five Valuan Mine Guards, supported by one Marine. The elite soldier's bulky special armor and massive gold lance and shield easily set him apart from the others, who had small shock-stocks and wore a dark blue bodysuit. They started, and the bulky soldier growled out a challenge. "You there! You's the pirates that da boss wants dead! Get em, boys!" The five guards all rushed forward with a battle-cry, heedless of tactics.

"Leave these chimps to me," Drachma boomed, stepping up in front of the girls and crouching. He concentrated his willpower, focusing on his feet. A glowing circle of power appeared around him, and he charged up his attack. Several seconds later he charged the enemy group, just as they were upon him.

He was faster than the eye could track, barreling into all five men with his considerable bulk and velocity, fist-first, and sending them all flying back. The sickening crunch of broken bones heralded the landing of the mine guards, at the feet of the marine.

The larger man recoiled for a moment, stunned at the old fisherman's power. He went into a crouch himself, and chuckling. "Oh, think you're the big dog, huh? I love roasted dog." His lance began to magically accumulate electrical energy, wisps of lightning filling the air around him.

"Aika," Drachma said. "Delta Shield! Now!" He braced himself.

"Wait, we're having Aika use the technique she _hasn't quite mastered yet_?!" Vyse said in disbelief, standing in front of Fina protectively.

"You got a better plan, boy?" Drachma demanded.

"Actually, I do, sir," The teenager sighed. "We could just stand here and open our arms real wide. That will provide us a lot more protection than if we go with Aika and her 'shield'."

Pirates, and sailors in general, are known to have quite a reputation for swear words. It was well earned, and Aika demonstrated why as she told Vyse what he could go do with himself and his cutlasses, most of which was physiologically impossible. Fina gasped again, blushing. After making sure her point came across to the now diminished boy, she turned and knelt, concentrating her energy in the air around her friends. "Aaah! Delta Shield!" She called out, and rainbow light filled the passageway.

The Electres attack sprang out of the marine's weapon, diving towards them like a golden dragon with impossible speed. The shield interacted with it, and the air exploded with light and sound.

Vyse looked up after several seconds- he hadn't felt a thing, which he considered odd. _Is it possible that Aika actually did it?_ He answered his own question, grinning. "Wow, Aika, good job. I'm seriously impressed."

"Good work," Fina agreed quietly, nodding as she stood up again.

Drachma humphed. "Looks like your plan failed, then. What're you gonna do now, huh?"

"Well, I might not be able to hurt you," The Valuan declared defiantly, "But you won't touch me, either!" He crouched behind his shield, creating a solid wall of steel for his defense. "Bring it on!"

Vyse blinked. "OK... um, Fina?"

"Right," The platinum-blonde girl nodded, frowning in determination. "Moons, Give Me Strength!" Silver light surrounded her in a runic circle and the air itself began to shiver with the power of the spell. She began to cast Eterni, which would instantly kill him.

_I can see his ethereal line... it's so thin, like a wire. I would have thought a big man would be stronger in his attachment to the prime material... either way, I will sever it._ Projecting her will into the Silver magic, she reached out with her soul and snapped the cord that bound the Valuan marine's soul to his body. The effect was instant. A grid of silver light crossed over his body, and then evaporated. All was silent.

The mountain of muscle and metal twitched once, then fell over with a mighty clatter as he struck the floor. He made no noise, nor could he, being utterly dead. She opened her eyes slowly, staring at her vanquished opponent.

Her friends also stared at him in surprise. Each of them had seen the Eterni spell used at least once before, during Dyne the Blue Storm's escape from Valua, when he executed his would-be executioner with the fatal incantation. Vyse and Aika were still shocked by it's finality still, being just teenagers.

Vyse leaned in towards Fina and said solemnly, "Fina... you're incredible. You have power over life and death..." He trailed off, looking down. She nodded quietly. It had a sobering effect on the whole party.

"We gotta move," Drachma urged coldly, walking around the nearly comatose lumps of dark-blue that were the live, surviving enemy guards. "If we stay here, more patrols will catch us and we can't fight all the mines army." His point had a merit to it, so they continued on behind him. They soon reached a long metal hallway with sealed doors to either side.

"I'll bet this is the prison block," Aika said. "Hm, no guards are here... that's odd." _They must all be searching for us... DeLoco is brilliant but nobody said he had common sense._

"Check all the cells," Drachma ordered. Each one was empty, except for the last one that Vyse checked. Standing in the stark metal room was a man who looked very... soft was the best word for it. With his golden-rimmed spectacles over intelligent and peaceful eyes, pale skin color and blonde hair, with a large, round nose and undefined body shape in his white jacket and pants, he seemed the antithesis of a regular convict.

"Hm... you don't look Valuan," Vyse mused idly, getting his attention. "Are you Isapa? I'm Vyse."

"Isapa?" The man echoed, tilting his head. "No, I'm sorry, but I've never met anyone with that name. You must have me confused with another. My name is Centime the Tinker."

"Really?" Aika said, running over to his cell. "Then you must be Hans' captain!"

"Yes," Centime nodded amicably. "I'm more than that- I'm his father. My crew is all family, you see... Wait, if you know him... is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, they're all fine," Drachma replied, bringing Fina over to talk with the prisoner. "You're the one you oughta be worryin' about. I heard what the Valuans do to their captives, are yeh alright?"

"Oh, yes, I am doing well," He assured them carelessly. "They took me from Horteka quite a while ago, but I refused to help that DeLoco fellow. He's a rather unpleasant guy, you know."

"That's one way to put it," Vyse dryly concurred, nodding. "So they threw you down here?"

"Correct. At least they tried to feed me regularly, you know? Anyway, you were searching for a man named Isapa, correct? That name sounds Ixa'takan. If he is not a slave, then surely he's in the other prison block. They segregated us for some reason- you'll need to take the elevator to reach it. Follow me, please." They parted for him, then followed his lead down to the end of the room and the elevator, which appeared to be broken. "It appears that in order to lock this place down, DeLoco has powered down the elevators. I can make a workaround, no problem..." He began to work on the control box, and inside of a minute the lift began to hum again, opening up for them. "Done."

Aika cheered, grinning. "Yeah! Nice going, Centime! You're amazing!"

"Oh, thank you," The engineer Blue Rogue replied. "It's the least I might do to repay you all- you did just rescue me, you know. Perhaps you've seen the ground-box traps?" They nodded. "Well, as you know, that's easy to avoid, but there are a few rather nasty surprises up ahead. I'll go around another way and work at disabling them, alright?"

"Wow," Vyse remarked. "Thanks. You've already been a great help to us, Centime."

The kindly man beamed. "Ah. Well, we'd better be off. These aren't the best surroundings for a chat- I shall catch up with you later, then, in Horteka." With that he departed down a side-passage, whistling a tune casually.

"What a pirate," Fina remarked as he vanished into the darkness ahead.

"Yeah," Aika grinned. "We sure got a motley assortment in the Blue Rogues. Alright, let's rock!" She bounced into the elevator, waiting for her friends to board the car before sending it upwards.

0-0

Isapa the high priest despised boring times, like when you were held against your will by a tyrannical foreign empire run by a madman admiral's forces. Having virtually no say in the matter, as he wasn't about to aide the butcher DeLoco in finding the revered Lost City of Rixis, he was gradually learning to deal with his free time.

He supposed he should be flattered- the Valuans had posted three of their larger metal-men as sentries for his sealed cell, which meant he was quite the valuable hostage. Somehow his feelings of gratitude were not strong.

He heard the voice of one of his guards. "Hey, just who do you think you are-" The man was abruptly cut off by a feminine voice yelling the standard magical chant, and then the rush of several gallons of water. Because the Valuans used electrical lances, he guessed the foreigners were shocked by that turn of events.

"Hey, this is the cell they were guardin'," An old man's gruff voice floated in, right before the door opened, and four people entered. None of them were Ixa'takan, however they didn't look Valuan at all, either. The girls, of course, caught his eye at once- they were both quite beautiful- but the paler one looked special for some reason. _Could it be?_

"Hm? And who might you be?" He asked. He himself was bald, but for a short purple beard, and his eyes were half-lidded with age. A portly man, he was wrapped in the traditional robes of a high priest to the King, and looked very laid-back.

"You're the high priest Isapa?" Vyse asked.

"The one and only," Isapa replied jovially. "Hm... well, his Majesty certainly knows what I like. Two lovely young women... heh heh. I have no use for you men. Please wait outside while me and the ladies have some 'quality time'."

Aika did not respond well to this proposal. _Damnit, I might be beautiful, but there's only one guy for me! And it's not some sweaty perverted old guy, that's for sure!_ She glowered in her traditional I-will-consume-your-soul manner and said, "Oh, really? We've obviously got some kind of mistake here- this dirty old man can't possibly be a high priest of anything."

Isapa seemed to ignore the redhead's caustic reply, and he stepped forward, intently peering at Fina. "Oh my... I haven't seen one in so long but... is it sooth, then? Are you a Silvite?"

Fina gasped. "How could you tell?"

"Intuition, my dear," He replied confidently, stroking his chin. "Intuition, from a wise old man." He cast a glance over to Aika. "Hm... I could probably guess that goofy girl's measurements... tell me, Valuan types use the underbust and cup size, right?" Vyse nodded. "Hm... let me see... 34 C, right?"

"3_2_ C," Fina replied with absolute innocence, only happy at enlightening people with new information.

Aika was beginning to get angry. "Fina, don't tell people that," She said first, blushing slightly. _Alright, already two people have guessed my measurements in as many weeks... what the hell?! Is fate cursing me?!?!?!_ She rounded on Isapa. "And listen up, you damn pervert! One more word outa you and you'll be able to guess my _shoe_ size- by the imprint it leaves on your fat head!"

"Aika," Vyse said in a calm, singsong voice.

She pouted. "Well, they never said we had to bring him back fully conscious..."

"Now that we've got him, let's get him back alive to the king," Drachma ordered. "I'll take point. Aika, behind me, then Fina and Isapa, and boy, you'll bring up the rear. Let's move." Vyse obeyed with the others, finding himself wondering yet again why he was the only one whose name his Captain stubbornly refused to learn, or use.

They emerged into the hall, and looked back, to find that the steel shutter that they thought was a wall on one side was mechanized. It rose up suddenly, exposing a new passageway. "Well," Vyse said sarcastically, "That's not suspicious at all."

"Keep yer wits about yeh," Drachma ordered. "I don't want to die in this dark, dingy hole." They passed several vacant hallways, until they came to a very large, expansive room. Entering it slowly, they did not think to look up the roof that was at least twenty meters above them. It was lined with enormous, man-sized deadly spikes, sharpened to a fatal edge, and ready to fall on the command of the control unit, which was in a sky box high on the wall of the room. DeLoco sat near the controls, watching as Vyse and his company made their way into the center of the room.

"Yeeeessssss," He said. "This is my favorite room, Vyse... I prepared it specially for you! Stay a while, please! In fact... stay forever! Muaha! Your soul will be mine, you fool! Prepare for destruction!" Of course, they could not hear him through the one-way glass, but it made him feel better to vent a little. "Now, time to spring the trap..." He reached for the controls. "And crush you like I have crushed so many uppity slaves! _Mauauahaaahahahahaha_!"

The huge doors to their backs slid shut with a solid thump, and they turned around in alarm. "We're sealed in here," Isapa said, beginning to panic a little bit.

"Indeed you are, you fat little cockroach," DeLoco gloated. "Now that there is nowhere to escape to... except Deep Sky, of course... I will _KILL_ you! Now you shall pay for your role in damaging my precious _Chameleon_! Oh, yes you will! Ahaha... huh?! What the devil is _HE_ doing here?! _That buffoon's going to ruin EVERYTHING!_ ... I'm still tempted to start the show..."

Alfonso had revealed himself, opening the doors on the other side and walking into he doorway with the utmost confidence. "Well... well," He said, idly pushing his stray hair back for the 300th time of the day, "Vyse. Long time no see, vermin. It is I... Alfonso. I came here to watch you die!"

DeLoco blinked. "Moons alive, that _moron_! You watch from in here, _dumb shit_, not out _IN THE DAMN ROOM WHERE THE SPIKES ARE_! No wonder he lost to these guys! Urg... maybe I should let them beat the shit out of him before I drop the hammer... and the spikes! Oh, yes, what a brilliant plan! Ahah! That way I'll kill them all! Yes! Blood! _Blood! BLOOD!_"

"Who?" Vyse feigned ignorance. "Oh, wait, Aika, help me remember... isn't this the idiot who lost his entire ship to us after we beat up his favorite pet and a great many of his 'elite' forces?"

Aika smirked. "I believe that's him, Vyse. I could smell him a kilometer away- plus, there's no mistaking that air of complete stupidity. That's Alfonso alright."

The Vice Admiral scowled. "Mock while you can, peasants, for soon I shall see you dead. However... someone of my _stature_, my _breeding_, cannot simply engage in combat rapscallions like yourselves... whatever to do..." He chuckled. "Oh, wait, I know! Antonio II! Come!"

The ground began to shiver. Vyse sighed. "That old, familiar feeling," He noted. A creature stomped into the room, which was almost wide enough to have trouble with the huge doors. It was an enormous armor-plated four-legged beast of battle that resembled a rhino, with two enormous horns and the royal adornment of a Valuan elite commando over his golden armor. "How original." Antonio II roared, rearing up for a moment and shaking the ground.

Aika, seeing an opening, said, "Back off! Alpha Storm!" He began to spin her boomerang while Antonio II still exposed it's soft underside. Her friends leapt to their side to allow her a clean shot, and a cyclone of fire hit it in it's critical area.

In a scene eerily reminiscent of their last battle with Alfonso's creations onboard his doomed flagship _Cygnus_, the epicenter and origin of Vyse, Aika and Fina's epic adventure, flames again began to circulate through his tight armor, ricocheting and roasting the beast. Torrents of steam and smoke rose in billowing clouds through the minute cracks in his shimmering armor. For a moment the redhead allowed herself the thought that it had been defeated, but it merely roared again and charged up a blast of lightning to shoot at them.

Alarmed, she dove away, and the sphere of destructive energy carved into the wall instead, fizzling the air with ionic charge as it evaporated. Not wasting any time, Vyse went on the offensive, beginning his Cutlass Fury assault. With blades glowing of pure will, he assailed the beast's armor, striking dozens of explosive blows with only moments, moving faster than the eye could track him. He delivered his final blow, and made the enemy stumble for a moment. Unfortunately, that was all it did- his armor was so thick, it was not even scratched, the golden finish barely tarnished at all by the mightiest strike in his arsenal.

"Uh-oh," He said, and had just enough time to before the beast slammed into him with it's girth. The much smaller Vyse went flying backwards, crying out as pain shot through his stomach and back when he met the wall.

Cupil had learned by example how to mimic Vyse's blade, and had formed the shape of a sword in an attempt to take down Antonio II from the side. It's efforts were doomed to failure, but it struck again and again, only making the beast take note of it by the noise it was making. The armored rhino snorted, electrifying his armor plates and shocking the shape shifter enough to make it fall back the next time it made contact.

Fina went over to Cupil, making sure it was alright after she had attended to Vyse. The teenager had bruised a rib, but she had provided him with a Sacri crystal and even now the healing magics began to regenerate his insides.

Drachma growled. "This ain't lookin' good, everyone. Nothing we got can hit it hard enough..."

"That's right, old man," Alfonso gloated behind the safety of his massive killing machine. "I had the armor specially reinforced after our last... _learning experience_ at the hands of those kids you now 'lead'. No attack you can ever use will be sufficient- that armor is impossible to break!"

"Whenever some idiot like you uses the word 'impossible'," Vyse said, standing up and smiling maliciously. "It makes me want to prove them wrong that much more. Get ready, Alfonso."

"You bluff, rogue," The Vice Admiral growled. "You have nothing! You will die! Antonio II! Stop playing around, and dispose of them at once!" The animal roared, stomping on the ground again with enough force to cause it to tremble. Electric power began to accumulate at it's massive horns again.

"Now, Aika!" Vyse yelled. "Weevil! Aim for the horns!"

Aika complied, and yelled, "Moons, Give Me Strength!" Using the water aspect of the Blue Magic spell, she summoned forth a hyper dense sphere of water. She flung it right for the horns, as they discharged their attack. The electricity slammed into the ball, charging it with it's power while stopping the Electrum from hitting her allies. The water hit Antonio II's armor, splashing over him. Now wet, the armor conducted the electricity well, and the monster roared out in pain.

It became enraged beyond thought, rearing up on two legs. Vyse and Drachma shared a second's glance, then took off at breakneck speed, slamming into the creature's soft belly with their shoulders. It was like hitting a slightly softer version of a brick wall, but the unbalanced Antonio II found it the last straw, falling backwards. Unfortunately for Vice Admiral Alfonso, he had been standing perhaps too close to the beast, and it fell on him.

Vyse winced just from seeing the impact, and said aloud, "Splat. I guess that's the last we'll be seeing of tweety over there." He walked over, kneeling next to the twitching hand of Alfonso. "Hey, Vice Captain Rivers sends his regards." _Sorry it took so long, brave soldier, but I finally kept my promise to you._ He was Vyse, the Blue Rogue, man of his word at least.

"Serves you right," DeLoco smirked, looking over and reaching for the lever that would activate the final mechanism, sending the spiked roof down upon his foes. "Well, I guess this leaves me no choice... but to crush you all! _Muahah_!! I just hope you _scream_ loud enough when you die! Yeeeesss!" He pulled the lever, and the floor shook while the ceiling shuddered and began to descend. "Crush! Smash! Destroy! Maim! OBLITERATE!"

The spikes abruptly stopped, still a long ways from the floor. Aika looked up, curiously, and saw the spikes. "Woah! Holy crap, look at all of that!" The others looked up, expressing similar disbelief at the stationary points of lethal steel hanging uselessly above them.

"I think we'd better get out of here," Vyse said, and the group quickly made it's exit through the convenient open door that Alfonso had provided.

DeLoco was not amused. For the first time in his entire life, on of his inventions had failed him, and he took the news about as well as a thwarted 3-year old Upper City child on a grumpy day. "WHAAAAAAT?! NO! NO! NO! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! IT ALL FAILED! But how?!?! Impossible! _Impossible_!"

"... bad time, my Lord?" Vice Captain Lucas asked, leaning in the open door.

The psychotic scientist paused for a moment, then growled, "No, I'm feeling quite peachy, actually, you _fool_! The enemy has just escaped their _horrible, torturous, agonizing fate of destruction_! Of _course_ this is a 'bad time'!"

Lucas winced. "I thought mayhap that you would like to know that all sectors of the mines are reporting slave uprisings, random monster attacks, and equipment sabotage. Sir."

"Thanks for the _good news_," DeLoco fussed. "Wait, _sabotage_?!"

"Indeed, my Lord. We have reason to believe that Centime the Tinker was rescued by Vyse, and returned the favor by molesting our electrical grids via wrench and wires."

"NOOOO!" DeLoco screamed, kneeling as steam began to eject from his suit. "_No, no! Vyse_! Why won't you just _die_?!!?!? It's not fair! _Not fair_, I tell you, It's _NOT FA_-" He paused, slumping backwards and passing out onto the floor.

Lucas ran over to him. "Admiral! Admiral, snap out of it! Get a hold of yourself!"

0-0

"Hello," Centime said cheerily, greeting them as he stood before a set of doors that, according to his access of the maps of the mines, would lead them almost straight to the outside. "I am glad to see that you made it through the mines unharmed, and through that Alfonso fellow as well. I made a few... adjustments to the machinery in the mines. Did it help?"

Vyse and Aika exchanged a glance. "So it was you," Vyse nodded. "Yeah, it helped. You saved our lives. I guess we owe you."

"Nonsense, you can repay whatever debt you feel by providing me with a ride back to the _Ironclad_ and my family," Centime said, smiling amicably. "I don't wish to worry them any more. Come along, this passage leads out to your ship... _Little Jack_, was it?"

Aika smiled. "You really know your stuff!"

Fina nodded in agreement. "And you care deeply about your family, it's easy to tell."

"You're a good man, Centime," Vyse said, finishing the line of thought for his friends and giving him the thumbs-up. "It was a pleasure helping you out. The not getting killed thing was also a plus. Anyway, let's go."

"Hold on, boy," Drachma grumbled. "There's still one thing we need to take care of. That fleet outside... I counted five ships o' the line and a score of corvettes prowlin' the skies. Now that they know we're here, they'll spot the _Little Jack_ for what it is for sure. If we jus' try to run, they'll follow us and gun us down."

"Oh, my, I don't believe that will be much of an issue," Centime said. "DeLoco has another fleet of ships- remote-controlled battle ships, you see, four of them. I managed to get to their hangar, which isn't far from here... and do some reprogramming. Those ships have had a change of heart, and are moving out to engage the Valuan garrison squadron. The resulting chaos should more than account for our escape."

Vyse just stared for a moment, as did the others.

"What?" The Tinker asked, tinges of worry framing his voice as everyone was watching him.

"Moons damn, man," Vyse said. "Is there anything you can't do? Can you cook?"

"Oh, well Cheryl tells me that I do happen to make a mean truffle, and I can do some other varieties of foods... you know, just enough to keep up when she's not feeling up to the task, and all that... or when I get hungry." He rubbed the back of his head, laughing.

Isapa commented. "Are you sure that guy isn't Quetya?"


	12. Payment Rendered

Chapter Twelve- Payment Rendered

It was nearly sunset over the western skies of Ixa'taka. The descending sun cast brilliant shades of fiery color across the sky, and distorted slightly the distant puffs of cannon explosions. The four remote DeLoco battleships fought with a much larger Valuan fleet, and both sides were mercilessly exchanging fire, attempting to pound their opposite number to dust. For the crew of the _Little Jack_ this was a welcome boon. Drachma entered the bridge last, looking to Vyse. "Get movin', boy, Full rudder to Horteka. We can get some well-earned rest there."

"Don't have to tell me twice," He replied, spinning the wheel and cranking up the throttle. The engine roared in reply, shaking the deck as power flooded through the maneuvering fins mounted over the hull. On the deck, the girls and Centime cut the moorings attaching them to the side of the mountain, and the ship drifted loose.

"Oh, my," The kindly engineer said, "It's been a long time since I've sailed in a wood ship. It has a much different feel to it... all in all a most exciting day."

"Exciting is one word for it," Aika said, as they joined the guys inside the ship's bridge. They shot away from the Valuan stronghold, passing the dueling fleets without event and observing the action. One of the robotic ships was already in flames, beginning to dive at a steep angle for the bottom layer of clouds. It would soon be in Deep Sky, forever. Two Valuan corvettes had also sustained damages, trails of smoke rising from the cracked armor surfaces of the weaker ships.

The fight soon began to shrink in he distant horizon, and they spotted the familiar clusters of billowing leaves through the wind that circled the fringes of the main continent. Ahead they also noticed the distant frame of an approaching ship. Vyse squinted, wielding his skyglass to magnify the profile of the unknown craft until it filled his vision. It was a standard, nondescript metal freighter that flew no flag of nationality.

"Sir, ship ahead," Vyse said. "It isn't Valuan, looks like a D-50 class. Standard model." He watched the ship turn about to face them. "They see us, too."

Isapa frowned. "It might be a trick. Those Valuans are pretty dirty guys."

"Look who's talking," Aika said, elbowing Fina, and both of them shared a laugh at the expense of the high priest of Ixa'taka. The portly man did not see the humor in the situation. As the freighter drew nearer, they sent up signal flags, and Aika ran out onto the deck. "They're hailing us to come about," She said. Dyne had trained Aika back on Pirate Isle to be one of their signal-flag operators, which was an important job in a world where radio communications were something for elite ships of Nasr and Valua and not a common technology.

Moving alongside each other, the two ships looked nearly the same sizes. Several men of the freighter's crew sent lines across, and they secured them to the deck, linking them firmly and setting their rudders only to maintain their current height. Drachma brought out a boarding platform, easily dropping it to bridge the small gulf between hulls.

Everyone got out onto the deck, while a man came over the platform steadily and walked up to them. He had long, platinum-blonde hair with bangs that came over his sharp and wise blue eyes. He wore a sailor's tunic that was gray, but otherwise seemed similar to Vyse's. "Ahoy," He said. "I am Ulric, captain of the _Lady Luck_. We are... clandestine merchants, of a sort."

"Drachma, _Little Jack_, fisherman," The old man grunted tersely, nodding. "So yer black-market sellers, hm?"

Ulric laughed. "Oh, that mayhap be one of our labels, although really we're more of a gray market- we can fence any items you might need to exchange for hard cash, but only if you managed to 'salvage' them from Valuans. We might be turning a profit but no one said we couldn't resist them too. Either way, we also sell ship parts and personal equipment... might you be interested?"

Vyse shrugged. "Sure. We've got nothing but time, and a bunch of pretty coins. Captain?"

Drachma grunted. "Well... alright then. Buy whatever you need, boy. When you're done shoppin' for personal stuff I'll take a torpedo launcher if you got em. Been meanin' to try out one of those things."

The man in gray nodded. "As a matter of fact, we just got a nearly perfect-condition torpedo rack and a bunch of ammo, because some Valuan supply ship recently crashed in the forests. The Ixa'takans swarmed 'em and sold most of their stuff to me. It'll set you back... 2000 sound reasonable?"

The old man pondered for a moment. "Hrmph. Alright, but that better include some ammunition. Just bring the parts over, we can install it ourselves."

"As you wish," Ulric nodded. "And as for you? We have Sacri, Sacres, and Sacrum Crystals, for 50, 300, and 900 each, we have Curia and Risen crystals for 600, guaranteed 60 percent accuracy, along with some various potions and weapon enhancements." He rattled off the full menu of items, and the Blue Rogues decided to spend liberally and stock up on valuable supplies.

Isapa purchased some interesting reading materials, featuring scantily-clad women of Valua, Nasr and Mid-Ocean. He called it cultural studies, the girls called it perversion. While they bickered, Centime purchased several ship parts and tools as well, offering to pay more than was asked and let him keep the change. Ulric took all of it down in a list and then returned to his ship to amass the goods.

They completed the transaction, paying a little under 10,000 gold in total. The crew of the _Lady Luck_ wheeled over the crates containing the torpedo assembly, ammunition both for their new weapon and plenty of cannonballs for their reserves, some moonstone fuel to top off their tanks, healing and magic crystals, several tool sets and spare mechanical components, and a dozen dirty magazines.

Ulric smiled as the pirates paid him all of his fee up-front in gold, helping his men unload the bags of gold back to their ship. He took a final bow to them and said, "A pleasure to do business with the _Little Jack_. Should you ever find landmass markets lacking, or have something interesting to fence, seek us out. We travel around the world in search of riches." The fact that they had somehow made it to Ixa'taka before the entire continent was blockaded off at it's only point of entry from North Ocean testified to their ability to move.

Cutting the lines holding them together, the two ships quickly departed. They made good time, however darkness had now fully enveloped the air and ground, and Horteka actively suppressed it's lights to not draw Valuan aggressions, making them nearly impossible to find.

Vyse looked around. "This isn't good. Where is that damn village? Even just finding the thing is a chore- it must be cursed or something. Is there a spell to screw up navigation?" He asked Fina. The Silvite girl had not heard of such magics.

"If it was, they would call it Vysi," Aika said slyly. Everyone shared a collective chuckle at that, and even Drachma's white whiskers upturned in a smirk. "Isapa? Ideas?"

The priest sighed. "Um... wait, I have it. The safe-sign: King Ixa'taka had his navy go into hiding after we were trounced by the fire-breathing ships, and they would emerge if a warrior whistled a certain tune. Do you have a bullhorn?" After he had been supplied with one, he went out onto the deck and started whistling. It was a fairly catchy tune, and Vyse liked it.

Suddenly the forest beneath them rustled, and Vyse squinted. Through the gloom, illuminated only by the faint and gentle glowing of the Green Moon overhead in the clear sky, a ship that strongly looked like a tree began to rise. It was propelled by blades that spun around it's center, and looked extremely odd to the Mid Ocean eye of most of the crew. They came alongside the _Little Jack_ slowly.

An Ixa'takan soldier called out in his native language. Fina blinked. "He... basically he wants to know what in 'the hells' is going on."

Isapa chuckled. "Have no fear." He began to strike up a rather lively conversation with the man onboard the other ship. After a while he turned back. "Alright, he'll take us to Horteka. Think you can follow them at cruising velocity?"

"Think you can be a perv?" Vyse retorted, spinning the wheel and throttling up to match their guide. Within a few minutes they had arrived at the familiar tree, descending and landing safely on the branch. This time the port had people in plenty, all hurriedly running around in a general excitement.

Waiting for them, among others, was Centime's family. When he descending the ramp off the deck of the ship, they rushed him, pulling him into an enormous hug. Hans was the first to speak. "Dad! They rescued you! Amazing!"

"Indeed," He agreed, smiling. "I'm so happy to see all of you." He tilted his head towards the rest of the crew as they came down onto the branch. "Thank you so much for bringing me back."

"No problem," Vyse assured him.

"Yeah," Aika chirped. "I mean, if we can release _that_," She hooked a derogatory thumb towards Isapa, "Then we can certainly spring _you_. Besides, we love pissing off DeLoco."

Isapa frowned. "Hey. I'm offended now."

"What, the first ten times she insulted you, the air you breathe, and anything else about you were ok, but this is the point that you draw the line?" Vyse commented.

The Ixa'takan smirked. "Well when you put it like that it sounds stupid."

Drachma said, "Everyone, get some rest. This has been a long day, and you've earned a little shuteye. We'll have the torpedo launcher installed on the _Little Jack_ and set out for the king's hideout tomorrow at noonday."

Centime smiled. "You simply must stay with us- the _Ironclad_ isn't much for accommodation, but our clearing is lovely for camping. I can also synthesize some sleeping-bags for you if you don't happen to have any."

0-0

Vyse was a dreamer, that much was certain. In his dreams, things were always different depending on the situation- before the arrival of Fina, they seemed to focus on Aika and their multitude adventures. When his family and friends had been kidnapped by the Valuan Armada, his dreams had been progressively darker, a false prophecy of ruin that never came to pass. In Nasr his dreams had begun to focus on both the girls he traveled with, cheering up again. He always found sanctuary in the innermost places of his mind, and usually kept a journal of his dreams.

He was having a very nice dream. A dream involving Aika and Fina and him. This dream is of a nature that most teenagers throughout history, one of fantasies and pleasures. This in and of itself was not noticeable, but becoming quite common. What _was_ noticeable was how it ended. In the middle of it, Drachma had burst into the room, in a terrible temper, and veritably screamed at the young Blue Rogues, "_WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THE HANKY-PANKY_?!"

He sat up with a start, gasping. Awareness returned to him, not all at once, but like waves on a beach. He remembered to exhale and took a look around. They were indeed camped out before Centime's vessel on the clearing near it's crash site, in it's shadow. The sun was up, but did not disturb them from, nor could it have since they had exerted themselves greatly yesterday in battle.

To either side of him, about half a meter away, slept Aika and Fina. They were laying on a single great sheet that had been laid out with a canopy over them, and had talked for a while before falling asleep. Their discussion was about Drachma, and how mysterious he still was to his erstwhile crew. He revealed next to nothing about himself that he could manage to keep concealed, and every attempt at friendly inquiry was immediately rejected.

Maybe that had been the source. "What a weird dream," He mumbled to himself, groggily sitting up and putting his skyglass on. He felt a little more at ease with the glass eyepatch over his face. Sitting up, he found Centime on the deck of his ship. The engineer waved him over.

Vyse collected himself, yawning and stretching as he slowly walked the short space up to the boarding ramp. "Morning, Centime," He said in yawn-speech.

Centime smiled. "Good morn. It's about ten o' the clock, Vyse. You all slept like rocks, not that I blame you."

Hans opened the portal onto the deck and stepped out. "Yo," He said, nodding his head in greeting. "Me and dad were just making the final adjustments to the ship. Soon the Ironclad will be sky worthy again... not that we can go anywhere yet."

Vyse said, "Where's the Captain? At the docks, right?"

"Yeah," Centime nodded. "He slept on-board his own craft, I think. He really likes that ship, I get the feeling it holds some kind of sentimental value for him. That's just me musing, however. Say... would you like to give us an extra set of hands?"

"Sure," He agreed, smirking. "I'll go wake Aika."

Hans grinned. "You're my kinda guy. And I'm not just saying that because you rescued my father and captain from the jail of a short, bald lunatic."

Aika was having a similar dream about Vyse, grinning in a silly manner to herself as she envisioned a variety of things. Suddenly and without the slightest warning it ended, and she was shoved back into reality much as an object is clumsily stuffed into a box that is slightly too small for the item. She stretched out wide, yawning and complaining to herself. _Nice timing as usual. I wasn't even done yet... oh well. There's always tomorrow._ Rolling over to the side, she opened her eyes and saw Fina was still soundly sleeping, but Vyse was missing. Cupil had found a comfortable nest in her platinum-blonde hair, and it's cute little snores made her giggle groggily.

She got to her feet, looking around. She noticed the sun was up, and saw the three men working on the _Ironside_'s deck. Vyse had somehow managed to drop his tools over the side, and let out a cluster of oaths that would make his mother faint on the spot, despite having a long marriage to the leader of air pirates. Aika ran over, collecting the tools and bringing them up to the boarding ramp to the ship.

"Thanks," Vyse said, and motioned for her to put them on the floor. She did, the metal angrily clattering from the impacts. "G'morning, Aika."

"What's this? Starting work without me? I'm crushed," She assured him with her best innocent face. It wasn't very effective, since Vyse had known her for more than five minutes. "Well it's better than sitting around waiting for Fina to wake up. She's still out cold."

"Hail to that," Hans said, handing her one of his tools and motioning to the deck. "Help us out, then."

0-0

Drachma nodded, finally satisfied with his work. Now successfully mounted over the topside armor that covered the roof of the bridge were two hydraulic hatches that fed into tubes, leading down to the launching mechanism, which was next to the engine. To simplify the firing process he had installed torpedo controls next to the Harpoon Cannon's trigger, and loaded the system with ammo. "This should give us some more firepower."

"Firepower good, right?" He turned around, and saw that the kids and Isapa were now standing on the deck of the _Little Jack_. Everyone looked rested and generally more relaxed. Vyse smirked. "Permission to come aboard the ship, sir?"

"You're already aboard, boy," The fisherman noted.

"I'd rather apologize later than ask permission now," He replied deftly. "Either way, if you leave us again this time we might not forgive you. Let's go."

Fina nodded. "We'll finally get the location of Rixis, and the Green Crystal."

"Rixis?" The priest looked over to the frail Silvite. "You mean to tell me, that's the reason you busted me out of the Mountain mines? I can't reveal whatever I may know about the Lost City until I get authorization from the king. It's a very secretive matter for our people."

"I know," Vyse said, manning the helm and starting up the engines. "That's why we're headed for the king's hideout." Aika seemed cheered by the prospect of Isapa returning to his rightful place, which was far from her or Fina. "Draw up the anchors and roll down the sails. Etcetera, etcetera." They did so, preparing for lift-off even as the deck began to rumble with power. Exhaust vents angled on either side of the hull spat a backlog of steam out.

A crowd was gathering in the makeshift port to see them off. Many villagers were cheering them on who yesterday avoided them like plague- they had been told of their deeds in defense of Ixa'taka, and now regarded the Blue Rogues as heroes. The crew of the Ironclad was there as well, and Hans yelled up at them, "Hey, we'll see each other when this is all over, right?"

"_Damn_ right," Aika confirmed, giving him the thumbs up. The long billowing sails of the ship began to take up the breeze, flapping urgently with the fisherman's flag that had replaced the ersatz Valuan one. Lifting itself off the ground, the fishing sloop's fins spun and beat wildly. They rose into the clear noonday sky with determination.

"Set course for the north," Drachma ordered, even as Vyse was already manipulating the controls. The ship slowly swung around until the compass told him they were pointed in the right direction, and then the teenager applied the throttle. The Valuan-made enhanced engine shoved them forward, and they began to take up a rapid pace over the heavily forested lands. Unlike yesterday, their velocity meant that most monsters couldn't land on the deck, and salvos from the cannons to either side further discouraged random attacks.

The old man left, trudging down the staircase on the bridge below the decks of the frigate. Isapa looking around. "Your Eastern ships still amaze me. This ship makes five times the speed one of ours could."

"That's only because we plundered it from one of our many victims," Aika explained happily, elaborating on their job as Blue Rogues. "We attack people and steal their shit. If it's good."

Vyse sighed. "When I get my own crew, you're not coming aboard as a PR consultant, Aika. Isapa, she's not giving you the full picture. Black Pirates just attack anything that moves, but us Blue Rogues only attack armed ships, mostly Valuan these days, and help innocent people."

Fina nodded. "It's true. They saved me from Valua the first time I... visited."

Isapa chuckled. "Well, if nothing else, it sounds like an interesting job you guys have. Tell me, if you will, why are you searching for Rixis? If it's just for the treasure you might have to give up. Generations have never seen it, and even I can't say weather it actually exists any more." The three teenagers exchanged an important glance, and he noticed. "You don't have to, of course."

"No, it's alright," Aika said. "If you're going to help us you deserve the truth. We're searching for the Moon Crystals, to stop the Valuans from raising the ancient Gigas and... well.. destroying the world, basically." She did not mention that they had already recovered the Red Crystal from Nasr, as it didn't seem important.

"Hm..." The priest nodded, taking an oddly contemplative stance. He went out onto the deck for a while, touring the ship and leaving the three teenage companions alone.

Vyse sighed. "So... um... nice weather..." Whatever already-dead attempt at further conversation was forestalled as Aika came up behind him, snuggling into his shoulder like he had done to her two weeks ago at Nasr. "Hm? S'up, Aika?"

"I don't know," She replied. "I just... don't feel right about something."

Fina nodded, stepping closer. "Even though we are getting closer to the Green Crystal, an ominous air hangs about. Vyse, did you have a dream last night?"

Vyse nodded, his face flushing as he remembered details about that dream. "Yeah. It was about you and Aika. Drachma was there also."

Aika giggled a little. "Drachma? I can guess what we're doing in your head, but the Cap'n? Vyse, I never would have guessed." In reaction he shrugged her off, and she laughed. "So, what did he do?"

"He interrupted us," Vyse admitted. "Yelling at us about... 'hanky-panky', I think." He was blushing pretty well by that point. "Even in my dreams he's an out of touch old man. Why, Fina? Do you have some kind of Silvite telepathy dream prediction thing?"

She gave a rather anticlimactic response. "No. I was just bored." She smiled gently as their helmsman face-faulted, landing on the hard wooden deck with the appropriate weighty thump. Aika's eyebrow twitched. "Look to the starboard," She said, pointing out a waterfall that gushed a fountain of clear blue water down into a lake that stuck obviously out of the forests. "A waterfall."

"Yeah, we had a few of those on the abandoned chains of islands near Pirate Isle," Vyse said, zooming in on it for a better look. The ship shook as Isapa fired the cannons again in an un-aimed volley, evaporating the group of flying animals that were circling above them. One of the cannonballs landed in the center of the lake, skipping over the water and sending cascades of ripples across it's liquid surface.

Now that they had been identified as friends, the Ixa'takans no longer took measures to conceal themselves from the _Little Jack_'s passing. Small, organic ships routinely passed them, and several camps showed by the light of their fires and small trails of cut brush below on the continent. There were more people than were original thought, all of them in some form of concealment, and no doubt trying to rebuild their villages in secret.

Then they were over the area that yesterday saw decimation at the hands of Admiral DeLoco. It was an enormous, uneven sphere of ash and charred stumps that was impossible not to notice. It seemed desolate, and was a potent reminder of the lengths that Valua would go to obtain the keys to superweapons.

Ahead of them, nestled as always between two plateaus, floated the small and unassuming wooden hut that contained the dethroned monarch of the lands. Vyse zoomed in on the hut, but a glint of yellow caught his attention. He snapped his view to the plateaus, but the only thing there was rock and a minor forest topping the geographical formations. Pushing it out of his mind for later, he turned the ship and carefully sidled up towards the tiny island. "Alright, go drop anchors and secure our lines. I'll get the Captain."

Isapa beamed at them. "I'm finally home," He said to the girls, helping them toss out lines, which aides to the king caught and secured to the wall and floor. The ship's engine powered down mostly, and the two men of the craft emerged out on to the deck with the boarding ramp. The high priest was the first one into the hut.

"My Lord, with the assistance of these Easterners, I have returned to your side," He stated, bowing and assuming his traditional position next to the sitting King Ixa'taka.

"Welcome back, old friend," The young ruler said with a smile. "You were missed. I thank all of you for rescuing Isapa! This is a great boon to our people, and me. My messengers from Horteka have just told me the news of your escape hours ago."

Isapa chuckled buoyantly. "Heh heh... yes, thank you. I'd like to thank you two ladies _personally_... unfortunately, it is time for me to return to my holy duties. It was nice to meet you."

"Not so fast there," Aika interjected. "You were supposed to ask the King weather it was OK to tell us the location of Rixis, old man!"

"Ah? Rixis? Oh, yes," The priest said, still laughing. "My apologies. I had quite forgotten."

Vyse wore a rather pained expression across his youthful and handsome features. "King Ixa'taka... with all due respect... where on the Moons did you _get_ this guy? Is he really a high priest of _anything_ besides the revenues of some dirty magazines?"

"Of course!" The king replied confidently. "He has the most knowledge of the Old World as anyone yet alive in my lands, I tell you that much. Isapa, we must show our gratitude for their deeds. Tell them all you know so they might find the Lost City, then. As the ruler of the Ixa'takan Kingdom I allow it."

"Very well," Isapa nodded, solemn now. "I shall pass on to you the ancient verse that has ran for fifty generations of my family: 'The Great Bird with it's wings spread and the kneeling Golden Man will open the way.' That is all. So, you got it?"

Vyse did not get it. "Hey, what do you mean 'that is all'? I didn't understand any of that."

"Well, to be completely honest, neither do I," He replied, laughing uproariously at the situation. "Remember, the King said I had the _most_ knowledge- he didn't say I had a _lot_. It's a relative term. Looks like you'll need to cipher out the meaning to the puzzle on your own, then. Sucks to be you!" He began to laugh again.

"I give up," Aika said in exasperation. "If you didn't know, why didn't you say so on the trip?"

"Security," The portly Ixa'takan cleric replied. "If I revealed that I wouldn't be able to help you much in your mission, you might have felt less compelled to take me back to the King. You can never be too careful."

"We would have helped you anyway," Fina said, speaking up quietly. All eyes focused on her, which only served to increase her nervousness. "Um... think about what he said, let's try and solve this..." She closed her eyes in thought. "'The Great Bird with it's wings spread and the kneeling Golden Man will open the way'..." Her large eyes opened again. "I know what it means. The things mentioned in the verse are probably on this continent- discoveries, perhaps."

"So, if we discover these discoveries, we'll find Rixis," Vyse concluded, pumping his fist in triumph. He turned to look over his shoulder at his friends. "OK, let's start searching for the Bird and the Golden Man."

At least it was a start.


	13. Rixis

Chapter Thirteen- Rixis

Fighting an Empire and her Admirals, even the ancient almighty Gigas, seemed not so difficult a task when Vyse kept in mind that they now meant to throughly search a continent that was at worst five thousand kilometers wide. No exact measurements had been provided for them, and even the Ixa'takans attempt at measurement used an entirely different scale. What maps they did have, scrawled in ink on yellowing parchment strips, were given to the Blue Rogues, and they departed.

The _Little Jack_, now reduced in capacity to it's usual three teenagers and a single grumpy fisherman, detached from the King's hut, preparing to turn away and start on a systematic sweep of the area that would take them at least four days. The monarch had lent them a dozen ships and hunter parties across the continent who were beginning similar patterns, and together they could canvas a majority of the green lands.

Vyse caught the glint of gold in the trees crowning one of the plateaus around the hideout again. "Alright, that's just too odd." The ship was still close, and he nudged it forward until he was alongside the natural formation.

"What're you doin', boy?" Drachma demanded, frowning.

"Sir, I see something on the plateau. It'll only take us a couple of minutes to search it," He explained, locking the controls. "Let's cast lines and debark."

Aika glanced over at the Ixa'takan hut, which was less than twenty meters away. "Well, good thing we used the ship for such a long and exciting journey." Fina giggled. They secured the ship to the plateau, emerging into the micro-forest. It was less than a hundred meters across, and they soon located an object, in the heart of the trees.

It was unlike most anything Vyse had ever seen before. He squinted. It appeared to be some kind of humanoid figure, emblazoned with a shining gold finish- "Wow. That was easier than we thought. Hey, we just found our Golden Man." His friends gathered around him, looking at the strange object. The humanoid was pointing a direction, obviously meant to be a guide.

"There's something in one of it's eyes," Aika said, leaning in and scooping out a small jewel. "Hey, check this out. Let's keep it! We're pirates, after all, and our job is to get shiny stuff..." Vyse glared at her. "Hey, this might be part of the puzzle surrounding Rixis, ok?!"

Drachma grumbled. "Alright. Keep the jewel. But if it turns out to be useless, we're givin' it to the Ixa'takans. I ain't toleratin' no thievin' on my boat."

"Absolutely," The redhead assured her crew, laughing at the joy from her new possession. "And now we have a direction to go. Let's just follow that guy's finger, eh?"

"That sounds like the best plan we have," Fina agreed quietly, and they embarked on their ship again.

"Boy, set course South-South-East," Drachma ordered. "Go to full rudder. I'd rather not spend a moment longer in this humid region then I need ter." At his command the fishing sloop started out, soaring over open country on their course. In a matter of minutes they had again come upon that waterfall that fed into the lake that they had seen earlier. "Slow and and get ready to land, on that strip of clear land around the lake over there."

Vyse was about to send the ship into a controlled descent to the ground, when he noticed something under them. There was a nexus of depressed ground, forming curved and straight lines and slightly discolored from the grass around it. He mentally connected the dots, and discovered that it made a gigantic picture of a bird. He was about to open his mouth but Aika's gasp told him it wouldn't be needed.

"Not ones for subtlety, these Ixa'takans," The fiery redhead remarked. "Hey, look! There's a slight glimmer in the bird's 'eye'... take us down." The ship made contact with the grassy ground with a surprisingly gentle thump. They brought out the ramp and Aika jogged down there, retrieving another jewel.

"Alright, so we've found the bird and the golden man," Drachma said. "Now, where's Rixis."

"Excellent question, sir," Vyse remarked, looking around. "Um... nothing unusual... I think we should head the way that the bird's beak is facing."

"Sounds like a plan," The old man nodded. "Alright, lift off." Heaving itself into the sky again, the ship grumbled and groaned under them. Being groundside made the image too big, and they couldn't see it's beak at all, but once they were back in the air they easily turned to match it's point. Once again they set off.

After passing over a hundred kilometers of forest in about an hour, they had reached the edges of the main continental landmass. A deep chasm separated it from another enormous forested chunk of land ahead, and in the misty distance, jagged mountains stood proudly. Vyse remembered that even what they called the single Green continent was actually a collection of floating islands, some hundreds of leagues across, others the size of airships. Without pausing they vaulted the distance and continued for the mountain cluster.

"This place must be bigger than Nasr or Valua," Guessed Aika after they had traveled for a good while. "Even Valua wouldn't have enough troops to occupy such a place, especially since the natives can hide wherever an animal can."

"That's why they aren't trying," Vyse opined. "Too bad. It would be useful if they tied up a few of their armies hunting shadows here instead of chasing us across Arcadia."

Fina was still taking in the scenic landscape flowing beneath the _Little Jack_, smiling. "This place is so beautiful, and full of life." _It's nothing at all like my home... silver, cold, metallic._ "It seems very peaceful." Schools of harmless skyfish floated about in the air, carefree and oblivious, and through the brush a thousand species moved.

Vyse smirked, leaving the helm and coming up behind Fina. "Well, it might seem nice now..." He put a hand on her shoulder. "But what about the numerous huge, _predatory, slathering monsters_ whose only thought is to _eat you all up_?"

Aika frowned as Fina began to shiver. "Vyse, you asshole! Don't go ruining Fina's fun. That's my job." Both the teenage pirates shared a laugh while the Silvite sighed the sigh of the long suffering. "Don't mind him, Fina. His ego's so big he can't tell the forest from the trees."

"Do all island-dwellers think they're funny?" She inquired, doing her best to imitate the complete snobby superiority and arrogant tone of Empress Teodora, the current ruler of Valua.

"Pretty much," Vyse said, happy that they had managed to slowly force a sense of humor onto her via osmosis. They were approaching the first line of mountains, and they went back onto the bridge, the boy manning his post at the helm controls. Drachma, having been summoned by Cupil, emerged a moment later. "So, how will we know when we've found Rixis?"

"I believe..." Fina wracked her memory. "The legends did indeed tell about the Greenites liking heights... mountains... um... the Gate of the city is an enormous stone fortification carved into the mountain's base, which would mean it's below the forest canopy."

"Boy, there's a clearing at nine o'clock," Drachma said, but Vyse had already spotted it, throttling down as they came to a stop floating above the clearing. Once they were safely ready, the ship descended until it's smooth bottom contacted the grass again. Tossing over two anchors and completely shutting down the engines, they locked down the ship and then proceeded down to the ground.

They agreed to begin searching, leaving behind marks on the ground in a trail through the thick forest as they went along, so they could return to the ship after they were done. Minutes of searching finally bore fruit, as the narrow passable trail suddenly widened out, and expanded over to the very side of the mountain, where an enormous structure of stone proudly stood out of the wall. Aika blinked, staring at it for a moment. "See what I mean? Subtle."

The structure resembled an enormous face, hanging ominously above, with an obviously heavy and sealed stone double-door blocking entry. Two much smaller, cylindrical blocks, also carved with odd-looking faces, sat to either side of the main gate. One of the eyes of the structure was a jewel that burned ruby-red through the dim lighting of the canopy, while the other one shone in ocean-blue, as if completely opposing each other.

Drachma nodded. "I think I got the answer." He pulled out the bag with the two Ixa'takan gems they had gathered- as he suspected, one was red, the other blue. "Boy, take this and put it on the left. Aika, take the other one to the right. Put it in that eye-hole things, then stand back. We don't know if it's completely safe." He tossed one of the gems to the boy, and the other to the redheaded girl.

"What, it might be dangerous so you send _us_?" Vyse asked, easily catching it. A moment later he caught sight of his Captain raising his large mechanical arm, and quickly appended, "Not that there's anything wrong with that." _I'd rather face Grendel then piss off the old man_.

When inserted into the eye-holes, the Blue Rogues discovered they fit perfectly, and began to glow more intensely than before. A second passed as their anticipation started up, and then the ground rumbled. Their friends retreated back to the group, who waited before the stone colossus. The stones began to move, the curved door sliding open to reveal a small dark shaft within. They approached it, pausing when they head a mechanical whir. A small floating octagon-shaped metal platform appeared, filling the shaft and waiting.

"Looks like some kinda lift," Drachma observed. "Alright, we'll never all fit in it. Boy, you go first." Vyse nodded, complying without any complaint this time and stepping forward. A moment after his feet came to rest over the platform, it began rising, and was soon out of sight.

He had been traveling up for at least a minute, with only the darkness of the elevator shaft's demure stone walls as company and the whirring as unknown mechanisms that kept the platform afloat propelled it upwards. He finally arrived, the ground moving down to his feet again. He looked out upon the landscape, all features of the eerie ancient ruins obscured by faint cobalt mists, gradually increasing until they cut an opaque line through the horizon. The ruins themselves looked to be of sturdy masonry, but were in disrepair, and showed signs of severe damage. Enormous impact craters littered the grassy inclines, and the air had a definite chill.

The lift started down as soon as he stepped off of it, leaving Vyse to wait, anxiety beginning to creep into his mind at the unsettling surroundings. Up next came Aika, who looked around and frowned. "This is the great Lost City? Well, at least you can tell why it's called the City of Mist, too. Hey, I didn't notice any fog in the skies, Vyse..."

"That elevator took us up quite a ways," The boy replied, still looking around. "The air's kind of thin, I think we're at the top of the mountain. In the clouds." The experience was slightly frightening- very few had ever been amongst the clouds and returned to the islands to tell about it. The clouds symbolized for Arcadians the barriers of life and travel- air pressure and density made passing below or above suicide for most ships.

Drachma arrived next, followed finally by Fina. When their party had been assembled at the top, Vyse spoke up again. "I gotta say, though, this doesn't look like a legendary city of gold to me."

Fina stepped forward a pace, reciting from memory a passage that was engraved into her memory from years of study. "Rixis was the capitol of the Old World's Green Civilization. It was destroyed by the Rains of Destruction. Since then, it's been frozen in time."

"Those craters must be from the moonstones that were hitting the city," Vyse said, and whistled. "That's a lot of power." At the end of the day, you could harm your opponents with anything, if it was given enough speed. Cannons just fired objects really fast. A stone that had fallen from orbit likely contained enough kinetic force to lay to shame Valua's finest weapons.

Aika's mind was working on a different track. She turned, glaring impatiently. "I'm not seeing any gold here..."

"As time passed, the stories about this place probably got gradually more exaggerated," Drachma said.

The redheaded pirate girl sighed, her shoulders slumped. "Great. We were supposed to find everything paved with gold or something like that... I should have slapped that dirty old 'priest' silly when I had the chance..." A few more seconds of complaining were punctuated by her sharp gasp. She straightened up, eyes wide. "What the Moons..."

A shadowed, humanoid figure stood in the distance, nestled between the cold remains of two different buildings. She fell silent, staring for several seconds, and then suddenly asked, "Vyse? If this city is supposed to have been abandoned for centuries... _then who is that_?!" And she pointed to it.

"What? Where?!" Her friends all turned quickly to the direction she was pointing, Vyse's hand going to the hilts of his cutlasses and Drachma tensing up his mechanical arm into a fist.

"There," She replied, pointing again. However, nothing was there anymore but the building in the background. The mysterious figure had totally vanished.

Vyse frowned. "Where? I don't see anything."

"Huh?" Aika was not happy. "But... but..." She sputtered, attempting to gather herself and explain her story to the others, who were beginning to toss skeptical glances over to her, "... I'm telling you, I saw something! In the shadows, right there!"

"Aika, this city has been lost for over a thousand years. Who could it possibly be? I think it was just your hyperactive imagination acting up again." The teenage pirate turned away from the missing source of his friend's alarm.

"Why don't you believe me?!" Aika demanded. "I saw someone!" She turned on the Silvite girl hastily. "Fina! Do... do you think I might have seen a ghost?"

"A ghost?" Fina echoed. "Um... excuse me? What is a 'ghost'?" Her three island-dwelling friends all fell silent for several moments, and she blinked, beginning to worry. "I'm sorry, should I know that? Um..." She was interrupted as Vyse bellowed forth laughter.

In such a tense environment, he clung to any humor he could. "Sorry, Fina," He explained after a moment, "It's just been a while since you've asked us something like that. Let me think... well, a ghost is like a spirit, like a dead guy who remains in this world. _Some people_ think they're really scary." He winked to Aika, who gave him one of her patented Killer Glares.

"Really? Well, if you're scared of it, Aika, it must be rather terrifying indeed." Any other person making such a statement would receive a fist to the nose as a reward for going to such heights of sarcasm for her, but she knew the Silvite had been perfectly innocent, like always.

Aika sighed again. "The two things I hate most right now... are dirty old men and ghosts. Vyse..." She paused, and then pleaded desperately, "Let's... let's not go! We'll be cursed! Or something!"

"Oh, come on, Aika," Vyse replied, smirking. "We came a long way for the Green Crystal and we aren't going back empty-handed for anything in the skies of Arcadia. Of course, if you don't like this place that much, you can just wait here for us to return.

Now, in all fairness, I should warn you that ghosts usually attack stragglers first, and if you take the lift back down the jungle you might not be able to fight off all of the enormous, deadly predators stalking around all on your lonesome. Whereas in our group we have the toughest old man in history, I feel, a girl who can kill people with her minds, and a very handsome boy who's handier than all of Mid Ocean with a blade."

The redhead needed very little time to muse over her options. "Alright, screw it. Lead the way."

Vyse drew his blades just in case, easily avoiding the massive craters to either side of them and entering the cluster of ruined buildings. They began to explore the place, only to find most of it vacant and empty. The grass had long since reclaimed the floors of all the ruins, and the walls themselves showed numerous fissures, and missing chunks from impacts an age ago. The entire place was devoid of even the illusion that human life had ever lived in the stark, cold, and bleak ruins. The party had to take deep breaths every few seconds, feeling light-headed. It was chilly enough, so Drachma was holding a Red moonstone above their heads and channeling small amounts of magic into it, releasing ambient heat for their comfort.

They ascended the terrace-field, with stone stairs to each level that climbed a little higher, feeling on edge from the unsettling environment. They passed through a long tunnel between two tall walls, unaware that the shadowed figure watched from above.

Usually, locations abandoned for such lengths of time were full of monsters, as they often thrived well without the weeding effects of human society. There was nothing in Rixis- alive, or dead, it produced no odd creatures and not even many noises. This was yet another off the Lost City's characteristics.

Aika finally caught another glimpse of the figure, as he ran up a long staircase onto a raised platform at the edge of a great chasm. Without saying anything she ran ahead of the party, intending to pursue the creature. Startled, they increased their speed and tried to gain on the redhead. When they reached the top of the stairs they found her standing, alone, on the platform.

"Where could it have gone?" She wondered. "I saw that ghost-thing again. I think it's stalking us."

"Great," Vyse said. "Well, if there's something to it, we'll beat it when it appears. Either way, we've got a more pressing problem. How the hell are we going to cross that?" He waved his arm over the great crevice that separated them from the larger buildings ahead. As if in answer, a flat object appeared out of the mists, heading for them. They tensed up for a moment, thinking a flying monster had appeared at last, but it was only another of the mysterious lifts. Floating without any visible aid, it slid right up to the platform and waited.

"Well, that's very convenient," Fina said with a smile. Aika recognized that, too, as a statement that only Fina could pull off without being the least bit sarcastic in manner.

"I smell a trap," Vyse said flatly. "Maybe there's a reason why monsters aren't overflowing this city." They agreed with him that something was more than a little off about the whole situation. "But, it doesn't look like we've got much of a choice. We want the Crystal, we have to keep moving, right?"

"That thing is like the lift that took us up here," Aika observed. "It can't fit us all, and it's not like more of them-" She stopped talking, looking over as three more lifts appeared side-by-side with the first. "... too bad there isn't any gold and cute guys around here!" Several seconds of silence. "... damn. I was hoping that would work."

"Hey, I'm not a cute guy?" Vyse asked, feigning insult. "Why, I'm absolutely _wounded_, Aika. I'll need to go to Fina for emotional support after my best friend has betrayed me so."

The redhead snorted. "I know the kind of support you'd like to get from her, and it's nothing involving your emotions. Come on, let's go." With that, Vyse bit back his retort and Fina hid her blush, stepping onto the lifts. Each one started up, flying besides each other and over the chasm, through the ruined streets and tall stone buildings of the city once more. These ones were more in-tact than the others, most of which still stood.

Things seemed to be going very smoothly for the air pirates, all things considered, at least until their lifts abruptly broke apart, each platform heading for a different building complex. Vyse said, "Aika!" Cupping his hands to yell over the distance, even as she was right across from him.

"Why am I not surprised this happened," She bellowed back. "Let's try to regroup, alright? I see other lifts on the level below yours!"

"There's another platform two levels above you," Vyse replied. "Good luck!" They didn't hear from Fina or Drachma, but assumed they were somewhere to the sides of them, albeit out of sight. Sighing, he turned and walked into the abandoned room. An intricate painted design adorned the floor, and a vaulted doorway led to an adjacent room. "I had to open my mouth about traps..."

0-0

The world burst into flame. Aika had only been separated a minute from her crew, but already something was going very wrong. She had been bent over an abandoned and locked treasure chest, unable to resist it's lure, when an explosion bloomed directly behind her. Her back was pelted with agonizing heat. Spinning and drawing her boomerang, she saw through the clearing smoke a person wearing a very familiar garment style- the brown full-body clothing and goggles of the Zivilyn Bane.

"Knock knock," He said in a low voice, stepping forward and drawing his Ixa'takan hunting blade. "Hand over that chest, and you will walk away from this city alive."

Aika narrowed her eyes, hostility welling up inside of her as memories of her injury at the Temple of Pyrynn flooded to the surface. "As if. I don't know how you got into this city, and I don't care, Bane. You'll never get your hands on the treasure behind me." She had no proof that anything at all was inside the chest, except that this criminal band was after it, and they only went after the most rare and valuable of items across the world. _Stuff worth killing for_, she thought angrily. _To them, at least_.

"Wrong choice, fool girl!" He charged her, but she crouched and closed her eyes, concentrating her willpower and her magical energy.

"Moons," She yelled, her eyes flying open again, "Give Me Strength!" Blue light flooded the open stone room as runic circles spun on the ground. Quicka infused her with a burst of super-natural speed- not even the talents of this thief could match her for agility now. She leapt forward, and went on the attack. Her boomerang moved like a Valuan dueling rapier, it's unwieldy large crystalline segment flying through the air with ease.

He could only barely counter, and the boomerang had sliced him several times as he began to slowly backtrack, trying with all his might to keep up with the redhead until the spell's effects wore off. Innately, he sensed that the Quicka would only last a few more seconds. He paused for a split-second to relish his own cleverness, but that was all it took.

Head and body of the Zivilyn Bane were separated, and both fell to gravity's pull to the ancient floor beneath. Blood covered the usually brown cloth of his uniform, his hand relaxing around the weapon that he no longer had any use for.

Aika stood there, staring with a sober mix of amazement and horror at the decapitated foe laying before her. She did not even pay any notice to the jarring transition back into her proper time-frame as Quicka evaporated back into nothingness. Slowly she turned around, cutting open the final lock on the chest and opening it. A shining golden mask was lying at the bottom, carved intricately. She had never heard of such a thing, but their time in Ixa'taka had not allowed for much lore. She put the golden mask into one of her pouches, then cleaned off her boomerang and proceeded down a flight of stairs.

Two-hundred meters away, Fina stared curiously at the sealed chest before her. _What if it's trapped, like Vyse said? I never learned how to disarm traps... Cupil, will you investigate for me? _The creature chirped dutifully and floated over to the container. "Thank you," She said aloud. "You're very brave." Cupil seemed to mentally glow under the praise of his mistress. He formed into a blade and slid between the minute crack of the lid and body of the chest, wedging up.

After several moments of effort, the locks began to loosen, and clicked as they broke apart. The lid flew open, and Cupil bounced off the ceiling before it controlled it's momentum and returned to hovering over the shoulder of the Silvite girl. She peered into the trunk.

Three silver crystals laid delicately in a transparent box inside the chest. Reaching in, she retrieved the box and scrutinized it's contents. _I can feel the Silver energy emanating from the crystals... very strong. But of what nature are the magics locked within?_

Leaving the mystery for another time, she put the box inside one of the pouches that Aika had given her for her extra supplies. Moving through the building, she soon located a spiral staircase that led down into the heart of the abandoned complex. She followed it, on alert for any enemies.

Across from her building, through the completely destroyed wall, she spotted the hulking form of Drachma. She cupped her hands to her mouth and yelled, "Captain!"

The old man looked over at the Silvite. "Stay where yeh are," He commanded. "I think this lift will take me over to you..." He took a chance and was rewarded. The platform silently conveyed him over to her, and he stepped out. "OK, that's a start. Did you see Aika or the boy?"

She shook her head. "No. I did hear a faint explosion a little while ago... I hope they're not in danger..."

Drachma shook his head. "Well, there's two lifts on that side over there, which is the way we need to go to move forward. Let's just keep on it and we'll probably meet up with 'em eventually." They boarded the lifts, which took them across more sky to a different platform. They looked back at the long row of towering buildings, waiting.

Moments later a lift appeared, Vyse riding it. He looked fine, and leapt over to the platform moments before his vehicle came to a stop. "Hey," He said. "Where's Aika?"

"Still back there," Fina replied quietly.

In silence, they waited for a period of time that felt to Vyse like ages, but was in reality closer to a few minutes. Emerging from the gloom finally was Aika, who looked a little battered but none the worse for wear. She struck a pose, smirking at them. "Sorry I was late, guys. I got caught up by a Zivilyn Bane. Check out what he was after." She reached into her pouch, drawing the golden mask up for her crew to see. Fina gasped in recognition of the legendary item.

Fina said, "That must be a legendary treasure for the Ixa'takans. No wonder that the Banes were after it- they told even me about it, when they tutored me for going to the lands bathed in the Green Moon's light."

Aika squinted- up ahead, across another platform and on the balcony of a large building, stood the shadowed figure. She pointed, and said, "There it is again!" They all spun around again, this time successfully catching sight of the motionless humanoid. Vyse zoomed in with his skyglass, but the dense cloud-fog and dark illumination made it impossible to determine many of it's features.

"Onto the lifts, everyone," Drachma ordered. "Let's get over here. That guy can't be up to no good, in these old ruins." They obeyed, and within a minute were all in the building, standing right before the man that Aika had spotted several times.

"Hold it," Vyse said, raising his blade. In reply to this he turn and ran, down a narrow passageway. In single-file line the Blue Rogues pursued him, through a network of such tunnels, until finally the mysterious man arrived at the edge of the opposite balcony. Pulling a hidden lever made several lifts appear, and he leapt up on one, flying higher until he vanished into the sky.

They again set out upon the convenient and fast flat lifts, passing through fog that thickened until it was impossible to see anything. Moments later they emerged into clear sky, and were now above the clouds. Vyse stared down at the tops of other mountains around them, barely noticing that they had arrived at the top either.

Aika was staring up at the large pyramid-shaped temple before them, with a wide staircase leading up to it's top level. Around it were shattered ruins and columns of eroded stone, over a peaceful grassland. The air was frigid, and their breath appeared in puffs before their faces. She squinted. "This must be the highest anyone's ever been! _We're above the clouds_!"

"Get movin'," Drachma said, walking forward himself to take charge. _We'd better get outa here fast, before the air gets too thin or we freeze up. Man, the trouble I go through for these kids..._

They climbed the steps without event, leading into a small stone room whose ceiling was completely missing. Ancient writing littered the walls, around with various pictographs- in the center stood a raised altar with an indentation, but it was empty.

"Hey, Fina, this picture looks like you-" Aika was interrupted by a loud screech, as if from a giant bird. She turned around, and saw a creature that might be best described as a giant bird. "Ah crap!" It was hovering in midair, it's great wings flapping occasionally to keep it afloat in the chilled air. The air pirates drew their weapons, as it looked anything but happy to have visitors.

"The Guardian of the Green Temple," Fina gasped, watching as it swooped down for the startled humans with murderous intent, "Rik'tallish!" They hit the ground, and the bird passed directly over them, raking its claws along the stone ground and pulling up masonry where it found a claw hold.

"Why is there always some big guardian monster thing," Vyse said angrily, standing up again. "Why never some Old World robot butler or something that doesn't want to rend our flesh and eat us for breakfast, lunch and dinner?!"

"That wouldn't be very cinematic, would it," Aika chided him, turning. "Look out!" The creature was almost directly overhead, and opened it's beak wide. Waves of rainbow light appeared, rings that descended around Vyse. For a second nothing happened, and Aika ran the short distance to him. "Are you alright?"

Vyse said nothing, but stood up, his head still bowed. He turned to face Aika, who gasped. His eyes had become blank and white. The redhead could only stare in confusion and fear as he raised his cutlasses, preparing to bring them down and cleave her in half.

A small crystal pelted the side of Vyse's head, sending him off-balance and shattering the magical item. White light engulfed him, and within seconds sparkling energy wracked his body. Drachma, with precision aim, had hit the boy with a Curia crystal. He shook his head, and blinked a few times, lowering his swords. "Um... what happened?" Vyse asked, genuinely confused.

"Rik'tallish has the power to sway men's hearts," Fina explained, staring up at the angered temple guardian that was still high over them. "It can turn brothers against each other. Only Curia can dispel it's powerful effects."

"At least we're safe," Aika sighed in relief.

"Aika, by men, she means..." Vyse sighed and shook his head. "Whatever. Hey, I have an idea." He cupped his hands and yelled, "Hey, birdbrain! Come try that again, I dare you, you little bitch!"

Drachma blinked. "What in Deep Sky do yeh think yer doin', boy? You want to piss it off more?"

"Yes sir," Vyse replied happily. "Watch." The Green Guardian had at least comprehended the mocking tone of Vyse's taunts, if not understood the language in which it was spoken. The insolence of the very small human annoyed it, and so the teenage Blue Rogue got his wish. Rings of light again descended upon him, but this time he had a surprise ready.

"Pirates of Old," Vyse said, focusing his will outwards in specific channels, pillars of blue light surrounding him and his friends, "Defend Our Cause!" He raised his glowing blue blades, and summoned for the spirits of long-dead swashbucklers. The ancient ones appeared as giant magical skulls, and cast a defensive shield across the humans. When the confusion ray hit, it was deflected at an angle, flying harmlessly off into the sky. "Looks like you'll need to come closer," He yelled up to Rik'tallish. "Unless you're afraid of a lil human being!"

The bird was not amused. It had deduced that the tactic which had stopped previous looters a few centuries ago would not work on this bunch, and decided to swoop in and catch them in it's claws, where it could squeeze them like balloons until they popped or drop them over the side of the mountain.

The large monster got even more massive as it swooped in on them for a second pass. Vyse crouched, waiting until the moment when the bird was directly overhead, it's large wing casting an ominous shadow. With precision timing, he took the assassin's blade he had gotten back in Valua weeks ago and plunged it through the quickly moving feathers. Before he could let go, he was pulled several feet and fell to the ground hard. It did him very little injury, luckily.

The effects on the ancient guardian were much worse. Whatever poisons had coated the blade had not broken down in it's time in storage, but instead had fomented into new strains of deadly material, which, along with the sharp object, was shooting through it's wing.

They watched Rik'tallish cry out in pain as it's formerly powerful flight now turned wobbly, one of it's wings failing, followed by the other and most of it's body. It passed beneath the cloud line.

"_Damn_," Vyse said, standing up and brushing himself off with a grin. "I am _good_."

"Nice workin', boy," Drachma nodded approvingly. "That thing won't be botherin' us again. Now get to searchin', the crystal had better be here."

"Hey," Aika called out to her friends, motioning them to join her, "This person on the wall looks just like Fina. Check it out!" Indeed, the figure on the wall, larger than any other picture in the entire room, resembled Fina, although it had several inaccuracies, which was to be expected.

"Yeah," Vyse nodded. "I wonder if this was that Quetya that the Ixa'takans are looking for... 'we, who have come from the temple of the Silver Moon'..." He read absently, not noticing that the ancient Silvite lettering seemed perfect Valuan script in his mind. He paused, and looked over at his friend. "Fina?"

She was leaning over a pillar in one corner of the room, intently reading the ancient carved letters aloud. "'We, who have come from the Temple of the Silver Moon... have sealed within the forests, after the Rains of Destruction washed away the lands, the unsleeping giant, Grendel... Upon his sealing, the Green Crystal was kept here, in these walls...'" She pushed herself off the wall, looking back intently to her friends. "This is written in the holy language of the Silver Temple. Silvites were here."

"These are ruins of Ixa'Taka, right?" Vyse asked her. "Why would Silvites come here?"

"The Rains of Destruction nearly wiped out the Greenites," Fina said. "Even after all the cities were gone, the Green Gigas continued it's rampage, terrorizing the pockets of survivors. The people were reduced to small tribes of primitive hunters, and still Grendel went on... so the Silvites came here, and sealed him, to save the people-"

They all looked back at a strange noise, and found the mysterious man from before, leaning out slightly to peer at them. "Who's there?!" Drachma demanded. "Hey, it's you! Hold it!" The man fled, running down the stairs. Drachma raised his arm, but realized he would pass out of range too soon. He turned to Vyse. "Boy! Go to it!"

"I'm all over it," Vyse replied seriously, sprinting down to the stairs and leaping up to one side, sliding with agility down the smooth stone buffer. Crouched against the winds that buffeted him, he stared, gaining quickly on their stalker. _You're not getting away this time..._


	14. Best Laid Plans

Chapter Fourteen- Best Laid Plans

Vyse was a very athletic person, of that no one could have any doubts. He was also brave, bordering on the psychotic suicidal. When his target had reached the bottom stair of the long pyramid, he had a close follower, as the teenage Blue Rogue slid alongside. Reaching the end of the stairs, he crouched and sprang up, launching himself into the air.

The man hit the ground, and hit it hard, tackled by Vyse. The pirate quickly got hold of both of the man's arms and pinned him in place to the ancient stones. His friends ran down the stairs to join him, spreading out to surround their mysterious prisoner.

"Finally," Aika said in relief. "Proof of my sanity!"

Vyse did not reply, as he was examining the man closely. He had the same darker skin color as most Ixa'takans, and was dressed in intricate white robes. He even wielded a wooden staff, and began to look suspiciously close to one of the King's priests in his mind.

Drachma spoke up, in a commanding voice. "Who are you, and what're you doin' followin' us?"

The stranger, who was on all fours and looking at the ground, fell in panic, spreading one hand over the back of his head defensively. "Please! Don't kill me! I'm a High Priest of Ixa'taka!"

"High Priest?" Echoed Vyse. _Knew it_. "Did you follow us all the way from the King's hideout?"

The man sat up on his knees, still gazing fearfully at the ground as he replied, "No, I didn't follow you here... I've been here a long time... I was assigned to watch this place by his Majesty. It's my duty to guard these ruins, and I had some troops with me before they were pulled to fight the Valuans."

"That explains the lack of monsters," Drachma huffed. "They been clearin' em out. Somethin' really ain't right here."

Aika nodded. "Yeah! You mean to tell me that he knew where Rixis was all this time?!"

"Yes," The priest nodded slowly. "We figured out Isapa's riddle, and found the Lost City... if anyone tried to take the Sacred Green Stone, I was to report it, even if it was useless for them to try. Everyone was happy when _we_ recovered it first, because we could use it to fight off the invaders..."

"'Fight off the invaders'? You aren't going to..." Fina stared intensely at the priest, who could not meet her wide eyes. _No, they can't be..._

The man sighed, bowing his head further in defeat and silence. _It's the only weapon we have that can defeat the fire-breathing ships... our only hope is the unsleeping giant..._

Drachma's famous temper began to flicker. He placed forward his massive metallic arm, snapping open and shut the steel fingers in a highly menacing way. "Tell us all you know! And if you don't, I'll just have to crack open your skull."

The Ixa'takan sentry began to visibly shiver. "Alright! I'll tell you! Please don't hurt me... Isapa told the King that the Sacred Green Stone could awaken the Giant of lore... if the Giant came, he would chase off the iron ships, and we would be safe! It's the only hope for our people!"

Vyse blinked. "... Awaken the giant? Uh-oh..." The ground began to quake.

Under the thick forest canopy a long way from the ancient city sat a simple stone altar with a grooved center that was molded to fit the Green Moon Crystal that had just been placed there. The King stood back afterwards, joining Isapa and his personal guards as they watched the ambient emerald glow begin to intensify.

Isapa spoke up. "Now that I'm free and the Valuans are distracted and confused, we can use the Giant and take them down, your Majesty."

King Ixa'taka nodded soberly. "Indeed. Awaken, o Giant! I command you to rise from your early grave, and destroy our enemies!"

The portly High Priest sighed and bowed his head. _Vyse, please forgive us. This is the only way we can beat Valua, and save the people and the forests of the green lands... _The ground shivered and trembled, the surrounding trees unsteadily leaning. A pillar of green light stabbed upwards, intensely bright and full of incalculable energies that were being drawn from the vast stores of the ancient crystal.

All of Ixa'taka now trembled, the ground shaking as it had not done in ages. Vyse and his party looked around, confused for several moments, before he saw the source of the problem. The pillar of green shot far up into the sky, beyond the Upper Clouds.

Grendel roared. It's voice carried in an epic manner, blasting them, kilometers away, with it's angered noise that had lain dormant since the Silvites defeated it.

"... son of a bitch," Vyse said, shaking his head. _I really hate the Gigas._

0-0

DeLoco's fleet, after destroying the rogue robot battleships, had attempted to blockade Moon Stone Mountain. Rebelling slaves had overpowered the troops of several hangars throughout the base, and a number of supply freighters, lifeboats, and skiffs were darting through their lines, making a suicidal dash for freedom.

Explosions blossomed around the _Chameleon_ as it's autocannons ripped apart another lifeboat, the iron pellets pulping the unfortunate Ixa'takans onboard. DeLoco chuckled madly. "_Yeeees_! Destroy! Kill! KILL! _KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THESE FOOLS FOR DARING TO REBEL AGAINST ME_! Let the skies rain with the blood of these savage slaves! Let the skies rain _DEATH! AHAHAHAHA_!"

Vice Captain Lucas walked up to him, causing him to pause in his diabolical laughter. "Sorry to interrupt, sir," He said dryly, "But we've gotten a message from the _Cygnus_. She has gathered her fleet and is moving out to scour the forests again."

"Hm? How many times has Alfonso _failed miserably_ so far?" The total genius inquired, watching with a malicious smirk as the ship's flamethrower turned one of the long, thin wooden freighters into a torch, and the occupants began to burn to death.

"Eleven, I believe," Lucas replied. Suddenly and without any warning, the yell of Grendel shook the ship. Such was it's power, even from the great distance, that DeLoco jumped in surprise. "What was that?!" The Valuan officer asked in fright.

DeLoco began to chuckle. "_Ahahaha_! That, Vice Captain, is the sound of _oblivion_! Those foolish Ixa'takans have _dared_ to trifle with the Gigas, and have unleashed _pure evil_ upon the lands! Quickly, mark our best speed for the source of that noise! All ships, make ready for battle! _Mauahuahahaha_!"

"As you command, my Lord," Lucas said with a bow, walking out of the small command deck.

0-0

Vice Admiral Alfonso stood on the spacious bridge of the _Cygnus_. His ship was shaped to very strongly resemble the traditional Valuan battlecruiser, however it was painted royal yellow and pure white, and it's nose was pointed and curved upwards. Dozens of Valuan officers busily worked at the electrical control stations scattered on the level below his, taking advantage of the technological marvel that was Valuan engineering.

The noble second son of the Empress flicked a stray hair away yet again with a grandiose motion, seeming little affected by the savage roar that had just torn through the air. "So," He remarked to his new Vice Captain, "King Ixa'taka really was hiding the Crystal from us all this time. How convenient, all we have to do is take it from him. All ships, move out at full steam for that column of light. Battle formation Delta."

His support fleet of a dozen regular gunboats and several Merrimac corvettes formed up around his flagship, following his lead through the skies. The Vice Captain said, "Sir, everything appears to be going to plan... _Harbinger_ is taking the lead of the squadron. And... I also heard that you were injured in the mines, are you ok?"

Alfonso growled, wheeling on the man so fast he thought that the noble would surely draw on him, but he merely said in a lower than usual tone, "You are _never_ to speak of that incident again, under pain of execution, Vice Captain!" He turned in a huff back to watch his crew work. "Now carry on."

The fleet drew nearer the source of the column of light, and pointed themselves towards the epicenter in the forest, which was as bright as the sun. Suddenly the ground began to break, and chunks of dirt and clusters of upturned trees flew into the air. Through the gaping wound in the lands came forth the Green Gigas, a monster of hatred and devastation that was so powerful the Rains of Destruction couldn't wash it away: Grendel.

It's form was clearly crafted to resemble a human, with the familiar impenetrable material coating it's outer surface, acting as both rigid defensive armor and completely flexible skin. It was, of course, green, with a single back eye and lit up a blazing red as it awakened with another roar. A back stem-like object, like a plant, grew out from it as it's bulging spinal cord, and it's limbs were badly misshapen. It's waist was extremely thin, which expanded either way, giving it an odd almost two-dimensional quality to look at from a certain angle. It stood colossally high, at least two hundred meters into the air, and thumped it's chest angrily. The figure was clearly visible from the Rixis temple crowning the mountain, even though it was leagues distant.

Alfonso narrowed his eyes. "So, Grendel's awake. Let's pound him back to slumber- all batteries, open fire! Explosive shot, double-barrels. Hold nothing back, and show these savages the full power of Valua." The ship shook as the powerful cannons mounted on the steel deck of the _Cygnus_ belched flame, joining the other ships in a furious cannonade which sent dozens of explosions peppering the outer skin of the Gigas.

The fire had absolutely no effect on Grendel- in fact, it took it several moments to notice it was being attacked. When it did, it turned ponderously on it's massive limbs to face the Valuan warships, letting loose a third bellow of rancor and winding up it's fist.

The _Harbinger_ was the closest Valuan ship, and so the most convenient first target. The fist of the mighty giant sped through the air faster than the eye could track, and struck the prow of the gunboat with perfect accuracy. Crumpling forward under the awesome might of the impact, the front section compacted instantly into one-fourth it's usual size, jagged and broken steel crushing a hundred Valuans below the decks and cutting into the vital systems. Sparks from the impact set off the exposed magazine racks for the guns, and a series of explosions rocked the ship as it shivered and capsized from the punch. Flames swirled forth from the dying ship as it descended into the forest, plowing a considerable wake with the force of impact and crushing the forests under it.

The arrogant and youthful Vice Admiral took a step back in shock as he saw the Gigas obliterate one of his ships with a single hit. "Blast! We cannot even make a dent on Grendel, yet he will plow through our squadron in a minute! Retreat!"

The Vice Captain was a new and fresh junior officer, and saw no reason to run just yet. "But... but sir, the battle hasn't even begun yet. We could load the torpedoes and have another go at-"

Alfonso began to throw a tantrum, angrily turning and gesturing with urgency to the officer. "_Why_ are you questioning my orders, _plebeian_?! I refuse to die in these filthy, backwards lands! All ships return to Valua at once! Dissemble the Iron Net and make best speed through North Ocean! _Go_!" The surviving Valuan warships fell silent, turning and speeding away in retreat from the juggernaut. Grendel seemed content to roar in anger at their passing.

Vyse observed the Valuan fleet begin it's retreat, wisely fleeing under the seemingly unstoppable might of the Green Gigas. He was narrating the action, and declared, "Hey, Alfonso's running away!"

"Oh, that's a surprise," Aika said dryly. "Well, I suppose we'd better stop it... this is going to be tough."

"Don't worry," Vyse said with a sigh. "I'm sure it won't be so easy. Hell, DeLoco's probably en route right now to attack us with a souped up flagship..." He paused, and then turned his skyglass towards another swarm of dots on the horizon, zooming back in. He fell silent, then bowed his head. The _Chameleon_ was leading the charge forward to the Gigas. When he looked back up, a familiar determination burned in his eyes. "Well, let's get to work, then."

Drachma turned to the priest. "Can you control the lifts?"

The priest blinked for several seconds. "Um... we've discovered that certain magical energies can... alter the flight of the platforms... yes," He concluded. "Why?"

"We need to get back to the _Little Jack_, and you're takin' us there at full speed." The wiry native sentry found this request difficult to refuse, of course due to the intimidating old fisherman and his enormous, rusty steel arm. "It's our ship, waiting in the forests."

"I'm not sure how long the range of the platform is... but I can try," He said, running over to the platform. "I can only take one person at a time, though."

"Boy, go down first and get the ship. Fly it up here and collect the rest of us." Vyse nodded, leaping onto the lift and bracing himself. The Ixa'takan High Priest started up the lift, and brought them through the chilling depths of the clouds and back into regular skies. The floating platform deviated from it's course, heading over the side of the Lost City of Rixis, descending further down the massive mountain.

Eventually they reached the forest's canopy surrounding the mountains. Vyse silently pointed him towards the clearing, wherein rested the green fishing sloop. "Are you going to try and go up and fight the fire-breathing ships and the giant in _that_?" The priest asked, setting down the lift on the grass.

"Haven't you heard?" He asked, flashing him a charismatic grin as he stepped down off of the lift. "That's what Blue Rogues do." No trace of his exasperation from before could be seen- he was putting on his usual brave face.

The priest made to follow him, but Vyse turned as he heard a strange roar. Several monsters were swarming around the vacant ship, and three of the odd floating pineapple-creatures turned to attack him as he boarded the deck via the ramp. They rushed at him, but he evaded by rolling to the side while the Ixa'takan made himself scarce

Counterattacking, he pulled out a Pyri crystal and tossed it at them. It struck one of them in midair, and it's rotor-leaves caught flame. Unable to keep afloat, it fell to the wooden deck. The other two began to retreat, flying away.

Vyse chuckled victoriously, running onto the bridge and cranking up the throttle. A shiver ran through the deck to join the quaking ground, and the vents mounted on the side expelled masses of steam that were built up in the pipes. The moonstones in the engine chamber began to release their energy, and artificial lights activated on the control panel. The _Little Jack_ was now ready for flight.

The sentry of Rixis leaned in to the bridge. "Amazing," He said. "Your Eastern ships are so advanced. Even this craft is far beyond anything we could dream of building."

He pulled up on the controls, making the sailing fins on either side of the hull begin to flap, lifting up the bulk of the airship. Passing through masses of leaves overhead, he cleared into the sky, continuing to steadily rise. The ship was not designed to gain so much altitude, and in the thin air it's engines worked five times as hard as usual to flap the fins enough in the thinner atmosphere to keep them floating. The controls also began to lag badly, which luckily didn't matter for them.

Achieving the crest of the mountain, he stalled the engines for a moment and tossed a rope-ladder down to his waiting crew. They climbed onto the deck as quickly as possible, and once Aika had pulled it up again he began to kill the power to the fins. They braced themselves into a sitting position as the floor fell out under them, gravity taking hold of the large metal and wood machine.

"Alright, boy," Drachma nodded. "Good workin'. When the altimeter is back in the orange zone, manually restart rudder controls and get movin' for the Gigas." Blessed warmth returned to them as the thicker air of Livable Sky conducted needed heat to them.

"Aye aye," Vyse replied, slapping the wheel and getting a decent spin radius out of the falling sloop.

0-0

"Think you could hide from me, you filthy little sub-_humans_?! Hehehehe, well, you were wrong, and when I catch you, I'm going to personally make you all _suffer_. You will feel pain _as never before imagined_, and wish for the death that shall only come... _slowly._.. in the very end of your _nightmarish torment_! And that's just phase one of seventeen, you foolish 'King' Ixa'taka!" Admiral DeLoco had been afforded a temporary distraction from his vendetta against Vyse- the Green Gigas loomed directly in front of them, and floating right behind it with a mocking defiance was the wooden Ixa'taka royal flagship.

Vice Captain Lucas saluted as he walked into the bridge from the lift. "Sir, engineering reports that the experimental cannon unit is ready for... testing." The _Chameleon_'s triple-barreled regular cannons had been removed, leaving an empty, smoother prow armor cone, which would open like the petals of a flower to expose their Moonstone Cannon. The flamethrower was mounted on a rack below the ship's mechanical arm, next to a new handgun-class torpedo launcher. The side-autocannons had doubled in number. The entire ship was completely upgraded, in terms of attack power.

"_Most excellent_!" Roared the small genius in triumph, bashing his besieged armrests in a hyperactive state of near-euphoria. "Target the King's ship, and fire! Fire! _FIRE AWAY_! Wahahahahahah!" On the screen, the ship looked painfully primitive- fully wood, with small paper fins keeping them afloat and fixed sails, and no armor whatsoever. It didn't appear to be able to stand against a rifleman squad, much less DeLoco's newest weapon of mass destruction.

Lucas blinked. "Sir? The ship? Why don't we fire at Grendel instead?"

"You _fool_," DeLoco howled, rounding on him. "That is why_ I_ am the high Admiral of the grand Armada and _you_ are a lowly Vice Captain! The Gigas only follow the commands of the person using their Moon Crystal- if we _crush_ the King, the Gigas will be utterly defenseless! _It's a foolproof plan_!"

The junior command officer sighed and nodded. "Aye, sir. Very well... firing control! Target the savage flagship, and fire when ready!" The ship began to rumble and shake as massive amounts of energy gathered in the conical front armor sections. Sliding out with bolt-action hinges, the cannon slid through the prow and the armor flipped back, resembling a cold metallic flower with a long central barrel.

Suddenly, the ship was thrown back by tremendous recoil, and the lights dimmed for several moments as most of the power onboard DeLoco's flagship sat completely exhausted. Eventually secondary generators got up to spin, and began providing emergency power.

On the outside, rings of golden light shot outwards with an audible noise, and the ship was enveloped in the dazzling brightness of the cannon shot. A beam of focused, swirling yellow energies shot out across the ship, and within a fraction of a second it had completely illuminated the forest lands directly below it, and passed narrowly over the massive shoulder of Grendel. It glanced the left side of the ship, sending it reeling backwards as the fins melted, sending the entire balance of the fragile Ixa'takan royal craft off-kilter. Isapa braced himself from the light and heat, and a moment later looked up to find several of the priests completely gone, and the King slumped forward in his throne, Green Moon Crystal still clutched in his limp arms.

"Oh, no," The old man said, hurrying over to King Ixa'taka. "Wake up!" He began to shake the teenage ruler. "Please! Wake up... no! This is not good! Helm, we must retreat! Return to the hideout at once." The solder who had been manning the simple steering mechanism next to the throne did not reply, as he had been tossed overboard when the ship lost it's balance. "Damn!" He assumed the wheel himself, turning the small ship as it shook and shivered inside.

_His Royal Majesty was the one in control of Grendel, but until he wakes up, it's just going to destroy everything in it's path... including this entire continent._ He sighed, looking hopelessly into the sky. _It all went so wrong... how? How? All we wanted to do was save our people..._

Grendel had hunched over, bellowing in anguish and clutching the small structure that contained it's blood-red eye, and presumably what could be called the behemoth's head. He shook and rattled, anger over the ages releasing itself without any check at all to limit it's destruction. The monster that had leveled an entire civilization's remnants was back, in full force.

Instead of following DeLoco's predictions about being helpless, it proved Isapa right, standing up and crying out louder than ever. It swung it's enormous fist at the first and most obvious thing in range- a small island to the side. At the impact, it splintered and fell apart, enormous boulders raining into the jungle landscape below. After hitting the island, it reared up, roaring again and beginning a rampage across the forest.

DeLoco blinked slightly. "Well, it looks like I was slightly off... keep our distance, KEEP OUR DISTANCE! You saw what that thing could do... it's might is _limitless_! And until we harness it to _crush_ the savages into dust, it will be a threat even to my majestic _Chameleon_! And look out for Vyse and his fools, as well! We can't be too careful. He's probably on his way right now to save the day. Heh."

Almost as soon as the last sentence had left his lips, an ensign cried out. "My Lord! Ship spotted, coming in from the west... it's the _Little Jack_!"

"Oh? Excellent! Prepare the cannon to fire again!" He turned his malicious gaze upon the electronic status displays, that showed radar reports in real time of the fishing ship rushing towards both the Valuan forces and the rampant Gigas.

"Sir, the main capacitor is overheated, and secondary generators are running hot," Lucas protested. "The cannon's output is more than expected- if we fire again we might overheat and then-"

"_Ridiculous_!" Thundered the proud Valuan Admiral. "My _Chameleon_'s precious test cannon can fire all the live-long day, I've seen the figures! Now I _order_ you to wipe Vyse out with a blast of our _ultimate weapon_! Quickly! _DO IT_!"

Onboard the _Little Jack_, the crew was assembled on the bridge for their orders for the battle. "Grendel's in range," Vyse reported with the aid of his skyglass, "But DeLoco's blocking our path. Looks like we'll need to take him down before we fight the Gigas."

"Ok, boy," Drachma nodded. "But be careful. We'll need to fight him defensively, and conserve our true strength for the fight with Grendel. We can take advantage of our torpedoes to throw him off balance, and the new blaster upgrades to our main guns will allow us to load them with three shots and give him a triple-broadside. You," He pointed to the Ixa'takan priest, who was also on the bridge, "You're helpin' me and the girls with the cannons. Four gunners will allow us to fight with a full crew."

The former watchman of Rixis nodded, apprehensive but obedient. "I'll help your ship belch fire, since you're fighting the Easterners."

They ran out onto the wooden deck of the ship and Vyse leaned forward, focusing all of his attention onto the controls. _Bring it on, DeLoco._ Squinting, he realized something._ That ship isn't moving... at all. What's he planning?_

It happened at the exact same time. Vyse began to turn the ship, preparing to start a distant orbit of the _Chameleon_ and set up the first shot for his cannons. DeLoco fired his own weapon- the Moonstone Cannon flashed the brightest yellow he had ever seen, and he covered his eyes instinctively, hunching over the shivering wheel. The ship lurched to the side, and his stomach did the same motion inside his body.

He willed his eyes to open again, blinking away the spots in his vision. "Now I know why Dad got so angry about me and Aika staring at the sun," He mumbled, looking around for signs of damage. "Everyone ok out there?"

"We're fine," Aika replied quickly. "I think he missed us."

_Wow_, Vyse thought in alarm, _Whatever DeLoco's new weapon is, it's so powerful that it can knock our ship half out of the sky with a near hit?_ They were still flying sideways relative to their enemy. He said, "Open fire!" On pure instinct, and the four obeyed. Their blasters tossed one, two, and then three solid cannonballs out into open sky. They flew for the briefest of moments, and then reached their target. Some missed, others battered into the heavy front armor of the ship, shaking it slightly.

"Boy, line us up for the Harpoon Cannon," Drachma ordered. "I don't know why DeLoco's stopped movin', but let's show him the consequences!"

"Maybe he's used up too much power," Aika suggested. "I really doubt they can fire that thing again soon, at any rate. They'd need a generator the size of... well, that," She said, pointing to the feral Green Gigas that was in the distance.

_Little Jack_ turned, accelerating to give it's attack more power. The fishing ship's massive spear was pointing directly for the mechanical heart of the Valuan butcher's creation. Vyse wasted little time in theatrics, shoving down the firing trigger. The ship rumbled and rattled as the motors housed in the Harpoon's launcher tossed the enormous hunk of shaped metal. Rushing forward, the thick black cord connected the ship to it's foe. The harpoon had passed right through the _Chameleon_, crushing a dozen sailors and destroying a storage depot, but otherwise doing little. They failed to hit a single critical spot.

The Harpoon returned moments later, shaking the ship again, and the fishing boat passed the Valuan flagship. Now facing away from DeLoco, Vyse began a sharp turn to bring them around for another attack. "Torpedo," Aika warned, seeing the signature flames shooting straight into the sky from the minimally damaged metal warship.

"Evasive, boy," Drachma encouraged, but Vyse had already yanked the wheel hard the other way, starting a turn back around for the enemy while completely shifting it's flight path. "That little lunatic's a tricky bugger, but once you figure him out you can whip him in no time."

Vyse had an idea, and switched back to their own torpedoes. The controls, like the ones for the Harpoon, were at his fingers. The targeting system was a metal grate that tilted and slid according to aiming, and with several bright beads on there for various targets. Range marks were ticked off in white on the sides of the instrument, and although it was a primitive way to do things, he easily manipulated it to hit a stationary object.

Two small canisters sped out into the sky, roaring upwards higher than any airship known to Arcadia could hope to fly, only to come plunging down within a minute, right for DeLoco's helpless ship.

He was intently watching the explosives plunge down to earth with a corona of fire behind them like moonstone showers, and which would have roughly the same affect on the impact area. So intent was his observation, he failed to notice a dozen stars growing brighter in the sky above, through the thick layers of darkening clouds.

Fina looked up and gasped. "Torpedoes," She said, her voice a squeak of surprise. Vyse had no time to react, and they were hit by one of DeLoco's Shock Torpedoes. The device crushed through the nonexistent roof armor, burying itself deep into the deck before exploding. The ship shook as it's structural integrity was threatened, debris and shrapnel ripping through supports and the heat melting several levels of the interior wood rooms.

The fishing ship began to veer off course as it racked itself, twirling and swinging as they trailed thick curtains of black smoke. "Damn, he must have predicted we would have gone evasive..." Vyse sighed. "Dead since we did, dead if we hadn't."

The priest was beginning to show more than his usual amount of fear- by now the Valuan fire onto the ship had fully convinced him that resistance was futile, and furthermore that they were all doomed. He expressed so, but was silenced by twin killer glares, one by Drachma, the other by Aika. Fina merely looked down, loading more ammo into her assigned blaster.

_Chameleon_ charged up for another cannon shot, still completely motionless, and still less damaged than the _Little Jack_. Vyse growled. Now-or-never spirit gripped him, and he turned the ship, speeding right towards DeLoco. Arming the Harpoon again, he concentrated,waiting for the exact moment...

A voice in his head spoke out. _Now!_ He obeyed, shoving the lever down. The Harpoon rushed out to meet the Moonstone Cannon as it temporarily emerged from the shell of it's hardened armor dome- instead the whaling weapon crashed into the highly fragile magnetic coils and iron braces of the cannon itself, and bent and damaged them irreparably. The massive energies that had been charging up inside the cannon instantly returned to their former place, in the engine core, and a feedback loop slammed into the already malfunctioning power plant.

DeLoco once again found himself on the bridge of an utterly ruined and broken war machine. The _Chameleon_ was engulfed in flames, as the engine cores exploded with a force that rivaled the greatest explosives of the Nasr Kingdom. He was outraged, refusing to believe the truth that the sirens, the smoke, and the panicking bridge crew all communicated to him, loud and clear- he had lost. Again. To Vyse. Vyse, his newest mortal enemy and thorn-in-side of all Valuans. "_Whaaaaat_?!?! NO! How could this happen?!?!? Twice in a row! No, No! This is all a nightmare! _It can't be happening! I WANT TO WAKE UP NOW! I WANT_-" He paused in mid-rant, his specialized suit literally ejecting handfuls of steam. He fell back into his chair limply, eyes going slack.

"Sir," Lucas said in alarm, running up to his command chair and shaking him lightly. "Pull yourself together, my Lord!" He looked around. "We are defeated! Get us out of here- transfer all power to the engines, and retreat!"

For the second time in as many days, the skies over the lush green continent of Ixa'taka were privileged to the sight of Admiral DeLoco's wrecked command ship slowly lumbering away, shaking in midair as if it might explode at any moment. The crew of the _Little Jack_ cheered as one, watching him pull back.

"Yeah," Vyse said. "Not time for the party, just yet! We still need to find a way to beat back Grendel."

"It's enormous," Fina said. "And it's physical strength... there's no equal in the entire world to the Green Gigas for pure strength. How are we going to engage it?"

Drachma sighed, looking around. "Well, it ain't gettin' any weaker while we sit here! Keep us movin, boy! One haymaker and we're all done. Angle us for a shot! Fina, I want you to cast Increm and Quicka on the _Little Jack_ to increase our combat power. That ought to give us a chance at this."

Fina nodded. "Of course." Closing her eyes, she knelt and began the familiar chant. "Moons! Give Me Strength!" Lines of blue and red power began to appear over the surface of the entire ship in a chaotic grid, with semi-transparent spheres of light in the air around them. The air itself began to shift, and sparkling clusters of multicolored dust swirled about like the cyclones of South Ocean. Using her magics, she strengthened the ship's armor, doubled it's engine output, and enhanced the explosive properties of the gunpowder mounted within it's blasters and torpedo launcher.

Vyse decided to bring them a little closer. "The thing's so big, we'll try attacking it one part at a time. Let's hit the head first!" Grendel had noticed their approach, and, as most of the other things around it had already been pulverized by it's insatiable power, it turned it's full attention to the small fishing sloop. It had begun it's plodding walk forward, watching quietly as the ship slowly got closer in it's circling. "Fire!"

Drachma lit the fuse on his gun, followed by the girls and the Ixa'takan mage. The sparks ran up the separate cords, igniting the magic-laced power within and causing a booming report and a mass of smoke and light. The cannonballs dove right for the Gigas.

The impacts were notable not for the explosions they caused, nor for any damage visible by the human eye, but rather for their complete futility. They bounced harmlessly off the unknown Old World alloy that comprised it's skin-armor, flattened by their own velocity into a large, jagged disk of lead. The fisherman glared down at the enormous humanoid war machine. _Looks like solid shot is useless..._ "Boy! It looks like he's walkin' in a straight line. Hit him with some torpedoes while we load explosive rounds up!"

Vyse momentarily devoted his full attention to the torpedo's aiming system, and then let fly another two of the explosives. They darted high into the air, and he returned to making sure they were safely out of reach of it's fatal fists, but close enough to get semi-accurate cannon fire. Soon enough Drachma had commanded his crew to light their fuses, and the small explosive packages encased in a hollow wooden shell were shoved forward. They fired their second set of charges, the blasters allowing them to store up to four shots of any ammo, and they placed their last bombs up.

Small spheres of red energy appeared over the shoulders of the Gigas, and a few hit it's surface. The attacks, like the solid shot, proved to be utterly useless, or if they were making any damage it was too minor to be of any help, as their rather limited supply of the bombs ran out.

The shock torpedoes fared no better- both landed perfectly on the green machination, loosing enormous explosions. Grendel hesitated for a split-second, but then continued on it's nearly indomitable path. Fina sprinted gingerly to the magazine buried in the center of the _Little Jack_, retrieving another pair of torpedoes to reload their launcher as the gunners made ready.

"Nothing we try works against that thing," The priest said. "Even though your technology is impressive, fisherman, I do not think we can beat the Giant via firepower..."

"Thank you for that observation, Your Holy Annoyance," Drachma growled, searching the surrounding landscape, the Gigas, and his own ship for anything they could use for an upper hand. _If we don't stop that thing, it'll head right over to Horteka and kill everyone, and then destroy the entire continent... It's only got those two legs, if we could knock it off into some..._ He paused, his eyes falling on the large lake they had seen before, where the grass-bird drawing had led them on previously. _... big body of water..._ He saw the wide river that wound through the forest. "New plan, boy! See that river? We're going to knock it in. It's gonna be tricky gettin' that thing to follow us. Get in closer, within it's range, but keep frosty and go evasive. If we make it punch us, we may be able to lead it on!"

"I'm sorry, did you say _make the Giant punch us_?!" Demanded the high priest, now panicking fully. He was silenced as Drachma again raised his metallic arm. "Good. That's... that's what I thought... yay us?"

Vyse shook his head. _Time to commit suicide again_. Leaning over the helm controls intently, he narrowed his orbital pattern, subtly bringing them closer. They didn't bother to fire any more. Apparently Grendel noticed this change, and it stopped, turning to face them clumsily. The forested ground shook under the massive plodding of the rampaging Gigas.

Vyse yanked the wheel, sending the ship into a dive at Grendel. The gigantic humanoid machine wound up it's four fingered fist that by itself was about the size of a small island, readying itself to smash the annoyance from the sky. It sprang up, fist rushing forward with lightning quickness, but with the magically enhanced ship they narrowly evaded. The wind from the glancing miss shook them and nearly capsized the ship, though, which only enhanced the Blue Rogue's desire not to find out what a full power strike would do to them.

Now fully interested, it began a pursuit as they led it right towards the steep cliff overlooking the wide river. They passed over it, turning and hovering in the air above the other side to watch. The Gigas roared and thumped it's chest, preparing to step over the large gap, when Vyse fired the Harpoon Cannon.

Rushing forward, it struck the impervious skin of Grendel and glanced off, it's deadly sharp point finding no purchase within the ancient construct. However, the sheer force of the blow knocked tons of energy through the giant Gigas, and it stumbled. Loosing it's footing on the opposite cliff-bank, the creature of war could no longer sustain itself upright. Gravity claimed it. The splash made by the tricked monstrosity rushed high into the air, saturating the surrounding sky with flying water droplets.

Vyse let out a whoop as soon as he saw the plume of clear liquid, as did Aika. The priest also joined in celebrating, while Fina gazed up reverently at the sky, and the bright, full Green Moon that shone back down upon her. Drachma nodded. "Serves 'im right. Ok, we stuck him for now, but I'm guessing he'll eventually learn how to climb out and start smashin' again." Already it was flailing madly, letting out terrifying roars that shook the lands. "We need to get that Green Crystal- full rudder to the King's hideout, boy."

The teenager responded with an enthusiastic, "Aye aye!" And spun the wheel. The ship, which had emerged from battle with it's second Gigas unscratched, save for the torpedo damage of DeLoco's aggression. Everyone aboard couldn't help from feeling that this good luck signaled positive omens for things to come.

Their trip across Ixa'taka was luckily uneventful, as they fought off several clusters of flying monsters. They made good time- in about four hours, when the sun had reached over the half-way point in the sky and was beginning to descend towards the opposite horizon, the humble little cabin appeared in the distance.

The King had made a recovery, luckily escaping any concussion or permanent damage. When the crew entered, announced by one of the soldiers, he stood up unsteadily from his throne. The first one in was the High Priest. He looked around, and then took a leg in respect. "Your Majesty, my charge having been rendered moot when the Sacred Green Crystal summoned the Giant, I return to your side with honor."

"You are gladly welcomed," The King replied, motioning for him to stand up and join his royal court in the background. "But it is not with honor that we act now..." He looked up to the pirates sadly. "I cannot tell you how sorry I am... we were fools to summon the Giant."

Vyse was a gracious person, and tried to divert him by reciting a quote that his father had given to him many times. "With great power, you've also got great responsibility. I guess now you see why Valua can never be allowed to gain control of six of those." A visible shudder ran through every Ixa'takan.

"Yeah," Isapa said with a sigh. "Well, the King and I and everyone else agrees that you've more than proven yourselves worthy. A lot more worthy than us. Take the Green Crystal... and do what you gotta do to save the world. We're behind you all the way." He took out the precious jewel, it's green illumination a warm glow on Fina's face as she stepped forward to accept it.

_That's two_, she thought in relief. Cupil chirped an affirmative, joyously swimming laps around people in the air in celebration.

"Thank you... you have saved our people," King Ixa'taka continued after several moments. "To celebrate your victory, I have arranged for a celebration of honor to take place in Horteka. Now that the Valuans have shown their true metal and left, we need not fear to congregate. One night, surely won't hamper your quest much?"

Vyse smirked. "Food, drinks, and partying... I'm up for that." Aika nodded as well, grinning. "We accept your offer." _Let's enjoy ourselves a while. Tomorrow, we sail for Valua._


	15. Postlude & A Discovery

Chapter Fifteen- Postlude/A Discovery

Hey, folks. I really hope you enjoyed reading my minor tome (of 70,000 words in two months! Yeah!!!!!) and I hope I did well enough to keep most of you coming back for Book Three._ Skies Of Arcadia Legends: Where Loyalties Lie_, coming soon to an internets near you.

I apologize if in places the characters seemed... well, out of character- to me, it's the most difficult part of any piece of fiction to accurately recreate the personality of an established character. Or maybe I just suck at it. ;.; at any rate, I'm trying.

As usual, applause, love, and all the kingdoms of the Earth for my wonderful reviewers: Arcon1, Lord Elecian, Desert Lynx, SoraHyrin58203, dogluv101, Skyraptor66, and aika arcadia. You are the only rays of sunshine in my otherwise pampered teenage life! You all! You, lurking in the shadows! Yeah, you, punk! Review already! Yeesh. It's not that hard- you could do like Lynx-kun does and write down three words each time. :3

Make sure you've _author alerted_ me, both to show me how many people love me so I don't fall into a horrible spiral of teen angst, and also so you get the next book when I start it.

Um... yeah. I don't have many author's notes because, well, what's there to say mostly? Enjoy this last chapter, in which the enigmatic, crusty old man who vehemently dislikes the prospect of teenage hanky panky opens up, _just a smidgen_, to the boy.

Last Chapter Starts Now!!

0-0

Loqua. That universal beverage was even well-known to the hermetic peoples of Ixa'taka, as it's making was rather simple. It was all the Loquat buries, which grew well in any climate, ground down for the sweet juices within. Vyse and his teenage friend, Aika, were both rather pleasantly surprised to discover the natives had brewed upwards of ten gallons for their enormous victory celebration. It had almost no negative physical effects, minus a temporary headache the next day when you woke up, besides the obviously desired effect of severe intoxication.

They partied, for many hours, enjoying themselves and temporarily forgetting the burden of the world's troubles. Drunken wildness inevitably ensued, but this was alright. Drachma was the only one present who abstained from the loqua- even the King had a few rounds.

Vyse slowly drifted back into consciousness, intense throbbing sensations shooting throughout his head as he groaned. The regular calls of the varied animal species around the village seemed incredibly loud now, as if they had all collected bullhorns and went up to scream in his ear. He knew this was only the effects of the hangover- although his father had discouraged it's usage, Vyse had been treated to loqua several times. He was the son of an air pirate gang, after all.

Slowly sitting up, he realized he was sitting on a comfortable blanket of some sort. Opening his eyes with another groan, he surveyed his surroundings. The familiar profile of the _Ironclad_ cast a massive silhouette over him. He was in the same place he had slept yesterday, before their assault on the Gigas. To his left, bodies intertwined peacefully, was a slumbering Aika and Fina. He gave a small smile and stretched out. _That was one wild time... I wonder what- what in the name of Daccat, king of all pirate lore am I _WEARING

He had made the mistake of looking down. Instead of his sailor's tunic and pants, he was now clad in a regular female Ixa'takan dancer's attire, the skimpy leaves covering a small part of his chest and barely concealing his manhood. Struck speechless for a few moments, he decided to lay back down and go to sleep.

Hans chuckled, watching the bewildered and skimpily-dressed Blue Rogue lay back down and try to ignore what he was wearing. His adopted father and mother had also had a bit too much to drink, and was laid out below the decks of the rusted ship. He had only taken a few cups, and felt good enough to get an early start on the day's repairs. _With the Valuan blockade of the continent ended, we can get out of here as soon as the ship's airworthy again._

Drachma lumbered out onto the deck next to him. He was the only one not affected at all by the berry juice. "Well," He rumbled idly, "Your engine is mostly patched up, I figure she'll fly alright until you can put in at a dry dock somewhere with real supplies."

"Thanks," The mechanic nodded. "How is your own ship?"

"I spent most of that 'partying' crap fixin' her up back into fightin' shape," Drachma replied. "I have to always keep alert, in case Rhaknam shows up lookin' for a fight." _Vigilance is the only thing that'll save me if we meet again_.

"Good luck," Hans said, putting out his hand and shaking Drachma's surviving flesh-and-blood appendage. "I hope everything goes well in Valua. Well, as well as Valua can be."

The old fisherman walked down the metal boarding ramp, onto the soft grass clearing. He proceeded over to his crew, who were peacefully sleeping. He was about to wake up Vyse, but paused. "You've earned your rest," He mumbled, looking back up to the _Ironclad_. "When they wake up, send em my way on the double. We'll eat breakfast on the move." He considered for a moment, whiskers twisting slightly in a smirk. "And remind the boy that his other clothes are all aboard the _Little Jack_."

"You got it," The Blue Rogue acknowledged, waving to him.

Departing the secluded landing site, he emerged into the winding village of Horteka. It was mostly asleep, a lot of the population having celebrated themselves into comatose collapse with the defeat of the Giant and the Easterners. He retracted his steps, by now having easily memorized the confusing route across multiple platforms to where his ship laid in wait.

He was approached by a native girl. She was about the same age as Fina and Aika, and nearly as beautiful. Obviously a dancer, her outfit was pretty immodest, especially in his opinion. "Captain?" She asked. "Are you the Captain of the hero ship... Drachma?"

"I am," He replied, stopping and turning to face her. "What about it."

"Um... well, I have a request to make of you," She admitted. "I am Merida, a dancer, obviously. Some time ago, I send a note in a bottle out to fly amongst the winds... it traveled far, out of sight, and I have never seen it again. The chances might be small, but, in your travels, if you should ever find it, could you return it to me? It is very important."

Drachma paused for a moment, then nodded. "Hrmph. I guess I could try, although I can't make any promises at all, mind."

The native girl's eyes lit up and she bowed to him. "Thank you, Captain. Safe travels." Without further words, the fisherman continued on his deliberate way, an enormous amount of thoughts running through his head.

He had been waiting aboard the ship for about an hour, lost deep in thought, when Vyse appeared over the loading ramp. His face was bright-red, and he angrily stomped past Drachma, below decks to get into the cargo hold and his spare clothing. The sound of girlish laughter heralded Fina and Aika, who were both atwitter. "Ah, don't sweat it that much, Vyse," Aika snorted. "It's quite a _skimpy_ problem, really."

"Maybe he got a nice man yesterday with that outfit," Fina said, burying her face in her hands to try and smother her giggling.

Drachma turned to the hysterical girls. "You're one to talk, Aika. You got the most drunk out of the three of you. So much so, you bumped the real dancer off the stage and started a striptease to a rendition of 'I'm a little teapot' at the top of your lungs. You almost had it off before a couple of Ixa'takans could stop you."

Aika turned a nice shade of red. "Cap'n! That's not fair! I thought friends didn't gang up on each other."

"What about me?" Vyse asked, emerging in a fresh set of his own garments.

"You don't count," She responded simply. "Oh, that's reminds me, I almost forgot... Centime says to keep our lifeboat bay doors open, he's going to give us one of his because I mentioned that Piastol had stolen one of ours."

"The man's too charitable," Drachma said, relinquishing the helm controls to Vyse. "Get us ready to fly, boy. As soon as Centime leaves for the docks again, we've gotta move."

"I don't even see why we need lifeboats, anyway," Vyse said, taking the wheel and staring up the old fishing sloop's stolen Valuan main engine. Rumbling noises shook the ship as moonstone power filled it's circuitry and mechanical units. "We already survived two Gigas, two Valuan Admirals, and a whole bunch of other nastiness, including South Ocean."

"You gotta be prepared," Drachma replied simply. "You never know what might happen the next day out in these skies..." He paused for a moment. "You never know..." He proceeded down below the decks, leaving the three teenagers with the impression something was wrong.

Vyse opened the doors to the lifeboat dock via remote, and he soon saw Centime's small metallic skiff gliding across the treeline. "I wonder what he's thinking about," He said idly. "The Captain seemed pretty distracted back there. Come to think about it, we don't know much about him at all, do we? All we know is he hates that Rhaknam arcwale."

"He'll open up in his own time," Aika said. "Not like we can force anything from him, trust me, I've tried." They looked over as Centime walked onto the bridge. "Hey, Centime!"

"Hello," The kindly father and engineer said, smiling. "I know I can't ever fully repay you, but I hope that my spare lifeboat will help. I also wanted to see all of you off. We're moving out in a day or two, as well, and thusly our paths might not cross again for some time." He held out his hand. "What say?"

Vyse shook his hand and nodded. "It was great knowing you, Centime. You've helped us enough."

Aika grinned. "Yeah, what he said. You're an awesome guy. Maybe some day we'll meet you again. The world isn't as big as they say." Fina bowed respectfully to him, keeping quiet.

"Where is Drachma?" He asked, looking around.

"He's in his quarters, probably," Vyse replied. "He must be thinking about something. Don't mind him. He's just a grumpy old man. We'll send him your warm regards." After they had finished their goodbyes, Centime departed back into the village, and they turned to the helm. "_Little Jack_, lifting off!" He pulled up the throttle and wrenched the controls, pushing the ship up with it's powerful propulsion drive. There was no fanfare this time, and they slipped out without much notice, as most people were still recovering from the party.

They passed north, following the great divide that separated the two main halves of the Ixa'takan continent, and occasionally passing Ixa'takan ships. Without the specter of the Armada, their sky was their own again, and they took full advantage of that.

Drachma came back up to the Bridge after a while, and said, "Kids, accordin' to the _Ironclad_'s crew and the natives, there used to be an enormous iron net set up to span the only passage through the north of the continent, ensuring no escape from Ixa'taka. When the Valuans ran away, they had to have taken down the net, so we should be free and clear to pass through North Ocean."

Soon enough they did find the northernmost part of the continent- the land slowly crested upwards to form an enormous wall, with a single wide passageway and a delta-like land formation floating in front of it. Iron bracings and structures sat to either side, but the air itself was clear.

Vyse said, "This is it. Bye bye, Ixa'taka. Entering North Ocean." Unlike the turbulent wastes of South Ocean, or the lively skies of Mid Ocean, the region they were traveling through seemed... dull. It seemed almost as if most of the life had been scooped out, and the skies got a little bit darker each minute they spent traveling north. Schools of fish were rare, and monsters nearly nonexistent, giving the crew plenty of time off. Drachma spent it wandering or shutting himself in his room alone.

The teenagers were beginning to get worried for Drachma, but couldn't think of any way to figure out the nature of the problem, much less how to help with that unknown difficulty. Vyse shook his head. "He never told us much anyway. I wish he could open up a- hey, there's something ahead." He reached for his skyglass, magnifying the black speck until it came into sharp focus, filling one half of his vision.

It was a ship, that much was obvious by the black sails mounted above it's hull. It was shaped like an oval, almost like a fish, wider than it was tall. It's metal plating was painted in the colors of a fish, even though it bore a decorative pair of leering eyes. Sharpened spikes were scattered across it's outer surfaces, and a number of black cannons poked out each side of the ship. The Black Pirate flag flapped proudly over this very odd creation of the skies.

"What do you see?" Aika asked after a second's pregnant pause, leaning over to peer with her naked eyes to the mysterious object.

"I can honestly say I see the weirdest looking flying object I have ever seen. It's a pirate ship... I think. Black pirates. It's profile is like absolutely nothing I've ever seen before. You'd better get the Captain up here, maybe he knows what to do."

Gordo was a man of fine tastes. He loved food, it was his primary interest in all of life. He loved food so much, he had singlehandedly assembled a crew of elite chefs to become his Black Pirate crew and purchased a suitable ship, a unique rarity called the _Bloodlust_. Traveling North Ocean, he was a true terror of cargo frigates and fishing ships, and even took on Valuan convoys if they had food. His bounty was currently about 5,000 gold to capture, kill, or to simply drive him out of the area.

He was currently enjoying Midmorning Second Brunch, which was the fourth of approximately twenty-seven meals, all of which he considered vital parts of his diet. He took a brief pause between devouring meals to chuckle to himself over the spoils of his latest hit, which was a ritzy private fishing sloop.

"Ah... it's good to be a pirate... Cold Ocean starfish soup... Valuan Yelooper with a side of dressing... and a mountain of Red and Blue Sardis Fish! This is wonderful! Those wealthy private ships always have the best eats aboard!" He smirked, going to work with his new silver fork.

"Captain Gordo," The lookout declared, clad in the royal purple chef's outfit like all of his crew, "A ship has been sighted dead-ahead. It's armed with an enormous harpoon cannon, and flies the standard fisherman flag."

"Hm?" The rotund raider paused in his eating and cocked an eyebrow. "Harpoon, you say? Fisherman, you say? Excellent." He stood up, heaving his impressive girth out of the embroidered throne overlooking the dining room table. He was dressed in an expensive golden jacket and white under-tunic that was too small for him, allowing a sizable part of his fat to poke out at his midriff. Luckily his pants were more logically sized. "Fishing ships are always good for some eats. Prepare to board that ship, kill it's crew, and take all of their stuff!" The pirate/chefs all cheered raucously at this.

While the _Little Jack_ was being regarded by the _Bloodlust_ much like a predator would a wounded Looper, _Little Jack_ was having a hard time knowing how surprised to be at how _Bloodlust_ looked. Drachma emerged onto the bridge and frowned. "What's goin' on, boy? This better be important, I told you I didn't want to-" He saw the ship, increasing in size as it approached. "Oh."

"'Oh'?" Aika echoed. "You know something about that weird ship, Cap'n?"

"Aye, indeed I do," The fisherman replied, frowning. "That's the _Bloodlust_, commanded by Gordo the Round. Bounty's five-thousand, wanted for attackin' cargo ships along the North Ocean region. He'll do anything for a meal, he's also called the Gourmet Pirate. He's an oddball, that's for sure."

"You're telling me," Vyse chuckled. "Well, Dad always told me the weird ones are the most dangerous. We'd better keep on our toes... is he going to fire on us?"

"No," Drachma shook his head. "That's not his style. He's afraid if he uses his guns, he'll burn the food onboard. He's goin' to be wantin' to board us and kill us, personally."

"Well, he's getting close enough for it..." Aika said. "Um... we should really move out of the way..." The ship slid alongside the _Little Jack_, expertly reversing course and initiating shadowing maneuvers from a few meters off the starboard bow. The ship shook once, then twice, as boarding lines attached to the hull and deck. The ropes connected the two ships together, and Gordo's men started unloading platforms over. "... nevermind. They're challenging us, Vyse!"

Vyse smirked, locking the controls and drawing his twin cutlasses. "Well, as long as they're here, why don't we go kick their asses and collect that bounty." He led his friends down the stairs, and out towards the deck.

Gordo himself had just arrived onboard with an escort of four of his odd chef-pirate men. They all looked over as the crew filed out from the inside, weapons ready. "Well, well, looks like they're here to stop us, boys!" The chefs laughed for a couple of seconds. "Show em how we deal with uppity fishers! Roast em!"

Vyse and Aika shared a moment's glance, and the redhead nodded, stepping forward. Gordo's men all started to chant, and the familiar runic symbols of Red Magic appeared under them, illuminating the wooden floor. She knelt, closing her eyes and focusing all of her willpower into creating a shield to deflect the magical flames. "Aaaaaaah!" She cried out as rainbow-colored light appeared in the sky overhead, swirling around in odd patterns. "Delta Shield!"

"Moons, Give Me Strength!" The four chefs shouted as one, releasing Pyres spells. The spells formed a gigantic whip of fire that combined and lashed out for them. When it hit the shield, the enchanted flames bounced off harmlessly. They tried twice more, but their magic could not penetrate the defensive screen.

"Nice job, Aika," Vyse said. "Alright, my turn for these clowns." He raised his blades with a smirk. "Hey, Fina, can I borrow Cupil?" The Silvite nodded, and he leapt up, perching with one foot on the small creature. "Cupil! Up!" Grunting and squeaking under the burden, it slowly rose into the air above the inert ship and the combatants.

Gordo snorted. "Ha! Just cause my red spells can't hit you, you think you can goof off? Lookit, boys, he thinks he can fly!" They began to ridicule him again, but stopped when he leapt off, into the air above them. His swords began to glow with his blue energy, and a ring of power encircled the ship.

"Shut up," He commanded, his voice echoing with new force. "Rain of Swords!" A hundred magical blades appeared in the sky, and stabbed downwards in an enveloping arc. Explosions appeared on and around the _Bloodlust_'s crew, dealing them massive damage and throwing them to the ground. Each of them cried out in pain as the bombardment finally ceased.

"Oh, no," The portly man said, nursing a massive burn on his side. "I'm done for! Alright! Alright! We give! You win!"

Drachma huffed. "That wasn't so tough, especially considering your bounty money."

Gordo chuckled in a grandiose manner. "Well, when a tale gets out of control... I used to be a really good fighter, but mostly now people give up when we board them. I haven't had much exercise lately." He bowed his head. "Well, I guess this is it. We're your prisoners, you can kill us if you want."

"Woah, kill you?" Vyse shrugged. "Besides being obnoxious and kind of stupid, I see no reason to kill you... as long as you promise to get out here and not cause any more trouble, you can go."

The fat man's eyes lit up. "R-really? Alright, it's a deal! We promise not to attack anyone anymore! Heh, maybe I can settle down and open that bistro I've been wanting to for a while..." He looked around. "Wait, I almost forgot. Who are you, strangers, that could beat us? We deserve to know your names."

"I am Vyse, Blue Rogue," He replied, smiling. "The lady next to me is Fina, and the girl in orange is named Aika." Aika frowned at this subtle verbal jab.

"Figures... you Blue Rogues always did have it out for us..." Gordo paused. "Vyse, eh? I heard something about you... you were that kid who busted out of Valua, right? Wow. Didn't know you were operating in North Ocean, though, I heard you were from Mid Ocean."

"This is the first time we've been out here," The teenager admitted. "For now, we're getting passage aboard Captain Drachma's ship, the _Little Jack_."

"Drachma? _Little Jack_?" The defeated Black Pirate looked over at the tallest and strongest of the group. He squinted. "Wait... Drachma, were you ever in this area before?"

The old fisherman took a moment, then replied, "What if I was?"

Gordo laughed again, smiling. "Then it is you! Man, I've heard all about you! You're the guy who's hunting that arcwale, Rhaknam, right? I heard you're after him to avenge your son..."

"_Enough_!" Drachma growled, striking the nearby mast with his arm, and shaking the whole boat with his vehemence and power. Everyone winced, looking surprised at the old man. "I don't know what kinda _stories_ you been hearin, but you'd best keep 'em to yourself. Now, get off my ship before I toss your fat ass overboard."

The Gourmet Pirate, like everyone, was quite intimidated by the sudden flare of anger. He raised his hands in a placating gesture, and said, "Aaah... heh heh... no, that's quite alright... we were just leaving." His crew followed him back up the boarding platforms, and pulled them back behind them. The _Bloodlust_ detached itself from it's conqueror, moving off into the skies.

The three teenagers stood there, more than a little stunned at their captain. Drachma rounded on them with a ferocious glare. "Well?! What're you all standin' around for?! Get back to your posts before I toss _you lot_ overboard!" He slammed his fist into the mast again. He had made quite a sizable dent in the reinforced wooden cylinder.

"Aye aye," They replied as one, turning one by one and running back into the ship. Fina was last, and turned to give him a small formal bow before retreating inside.

Drachma stayed outside for a while, looking up into the cloudy upper sky. "Rhaknam..." His expression softened a little, and he looked less like a terrifying avenger, and more like an overburdened old man. He felt the weight of many years press upon him. Eventually he resumed his tough mask and went inside as well. _The hunt continues._

Their voyage only had one other moment of any occasion, when they spotted an odd set of lights just off one of the many abandoned islands floating around them. Quickly identified as Will 'o Wisps, the mysterious event that was nearly legendary, they recorded the coordinates to turn over to the Sailor's Guild the next chance they got.

Before, Drachma had then worried. Now they were deeply troubled, wondering more about the roots for Drachma's life-defining quest. _He reacted so defensively at Gordo... that must mean that it's partially true_, Vyse mused to himself, paying little heed to his steering as he mindlessly manned the helm. _His son... did Drachma loose his son to the arcwale?_

For hours they continued onwards, watching the skies gradually assume the gloomy perma-night of the Valuan continent. In the distance, finally looming out of the black, the shoreline of the great landmass appeared. Vyse nodded. "Looks like we've reached Valuan airspace. Man, even the air sucks here." He squinted. "Where's the grand Armada's patrols, then?"

"Their continent's pretty huge, Vyse," Aika replied. "They can't defend all of it, you know. Plus, look. Mountains all around. They probably figure most ships who try it run aground on the rocky shores."

"I'll look for a pass in the rocks, you go inform the Captain," Vyse said. The redhead nodded, walking down the steps. The teenager used his skyglass, magnifying the intimidating formations of yellowish-tinted ground before them. He spoke up to the timid Silvite standing near him. "So, Fina, the Yellow Crystal is here, right?"

"Yes," She replied. "It's sealed with the Yellow Gigas, which is called Yeligar. It has the ability to control ions. That means it can channel any amount of electricity it wants. It can also fly, which will make it tougher than the last two Gigas we have faced."

"Oh, like we need _tougher_ enemies," Vyse said sarcastically.

"Yeligar was so resilient, they couldn't beat him enough to bury him, so they managed to put him to sleep. They sealed him under an enormous bulkhead with their most powerful holy enchantments of the moons. It's called the Maw of Tartas and it plugs up the only entry point into the network of tunnels that crisscross under the continent."

"So when we get over land, we have to look for a huge metal seal, right? At least that doesn't sound too difficult. I bet the Valuans are trying to open it."

"They will fail," Fina replied. "Even if the Silvite clans were together again, they could not break it. Only Yeligar's power might be able to free himself, but he is in a slumber that will never cease. I hope."

"Well, if nothing else, they'll probably set up a huge defense force for the Maw, knowing we'd come for the Crystal. The possibility of entrapping all of us in one place under the guns of their whole Armada is probably giving Galcian a boner."

Fina paused for a moment, and then Vyse realized his error. "Um... Vyse? What is a 'boner'?"

Drachma was sitting in the Engine Room, staring blankly at the opposite wall and not even noticing the lively hum of the modified engine a few meters away. Aika came running into the room and said, "Cap'n! Cap'n! We've reached the Valuan shoreline. Man, I can't believe it- we've traveled pretty much around the known world already, right?" The old man gave her no reply, and after several seconds she tried again. "Cap'n? Are you alright?"

"Hm?" His head snapped up to look at her, and he blinked. "Oh, um... I'm sorry. What were you sayin', Aika?"

"Um... just that we're at Valua," She replied, worry written over her face. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," He replied, getting slowly to his feet. "Now c'mon, let's get back to the bridge. I want all hands on deck, this place can be as deadly as South Ocean with the Armada about."

They traveled up above the decks again, just in time to hear Fina again ask Vyse for information on what a 'boner' was. Drachma growled, delivering a not-so-gentle tap to the back of Vyse's head. "Boy!" He roared. "Don't be pollutin' her mind with perversions. Aika's bad enough." Aika tried to look insulted and couldn't. It is very hard to be wounded when you're laughing.

Fina blinked. "So... is it one of those subjects that we're not supposed to talk about?" Her three companions all nodded quickly. "Oh... I see. I am sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Aika said. "Besides, Vyse got his knock for being a perv, so we're all good."

Vyse made sure to turn his glare up to extra-venomous for Aika before returning to the helm. "Well, sir, I just located a pass that I think I can bring us through in the coastline mountains."

Drachma nodded. "Then let's go." The _Little Jack_, being a relatively small fishing ship, was able to just slip through the gaps in two towering structures of soil and rock. Moving through the pass, they easily made several turns, until it opened up into the interior of the continent- a wide-open, desolate plain of mostly rock with little topsoil. Many craters littered the environment, and Drachma said, "I don't think those are moonstone impacts. The Valuans use explosives to mine sometimes. I guess caring about the lands you own don't matter to the mightiest nation." Occasionally lightning flickered on the horizon. The skies were black as night, and even the ever-present glow of the yellow moon only faintly penetrated the heavy cloud blankets.

Minutes of searching later, and they came across it. Unmistakably standing out from the ground around it, the enormous metal plate appeared to be situated at the bottom of a shallow crater. "No Valuans in sight," Aika said, sweeping her gaze again amongst the jagged and barren landscape. "That's really odd... this seems like the sort of thing to gather some attention." Vyse spun the wheel, taking the ship alongside the edge of the crater and gently setting it down. With a small rumble he shut off the engines and the fins on either side of the ship stopped their movements.

Taking out their boarding ramp, they disembarked, slowly proceeding down the mellow gradient until they reached the enormous metallic barrier. It was shaped like a pentagon, with a wavy orange border around it and a smaller, discolored pentagon inside. Over the surface of the center was five circles situated equally around a sixth in the middle, contained in a double-lined circle and other faded designs. Vyse blinked, taking in it's enormity. "Wow, that chunk of metal really is huge!"

Fina nodded. "As I told Vyse, this is the Maw of Tartas, which leads to the only known entrance to Valua's ancient tunnel network. Stored herein are both the Yellow Crystal and Gigas, which is asleep."

Drachma nodded in approval. "Good. Keep that thing locked up- one less thing to fight."

"Well, I am kinda glad that the Yellow Gigas can't get out," Aika admitted, sitting down in the thin dirt and looking down. "But it also means that we have no chance of getting _in_. Unless anyone has a plan? What should we do now?"

They tried to devise a method of moving the titanic seal, falling into silence for a moment. This thoughtful pause was broken by an unfamiliar and brash voice. "Hey, you there! Don't move!" They all looked up to the source of the voice, which was a Valuan Sergeant in full combat armor and with the distinctive silver lapel over one shoulder. He wielded a semi-automatic yellow carbine, whose hammer gave a small clack as it was drawn back to fire. "The punishment for trespassing near the Great Seal is death!"

Vyse snorted, crossing his arms. "Oh, come on. One guy? Do you really think you can take us... on... with one... guy..." He trailed off, seeing ten regular Valuan troopers armed with steel longswords emerge over the crest in a formation, surrounding them completely. "Ah hell."

They all charged as one, letting out a battle-cry and leaping down. The Sergeant opened fire, and a yellow bullet zipped past Drachma's ear, it's near-miss causing some of it's electrical power to frizz his snow-white beard. In reply, the old Fisherman put his metallic arm up and used it like a projectile, launching his large closed fist straight for him, much the same way his ship fired it's Harpoon Cannon. Fina walked backwards onto the seal, and Aika and Vyse formed up to either side of her for defense.

The metal fist hit the pointed beak-faceplate of the officer, knocking him backwards and denting his helmet inwards. The jagged shards sliced him open and he cried out, flailing on the ground in pain and dropping his firearm. The arm returned a moment later and Drachma turned, ready to confront the three Valuan troopers charging from, all from the front.

Vyse began to to duel with two of his enemies, one Cutlass for each, and they exchanged dozens of swift blows. These troops knew their swordsmanship, and he was hard-pressed to counter their attacks, much less launch his own strikes. From behind him, Fina began to chant a spell that shoved a dozen shards of magical ice into another Valuan, knocking him down.

Aika also engaged in melee combat with the enemy, was not as fast, and began to accumulate several vicious red cuts across her arms and stomach. She growled, finding her own first hit, and luckily striking the critical area between the shoulder-plate and helmet. She sliced into her assailant's neck, and he gargled, limply falling to the ground in a heap of metal and flesh. Nimbly rolling out of the way, her two other enemies fell forward instead of killing her.

Fina finished her next incantation, and said, "Moons! Give Me Strength!" Red lines appeared under Vyse's feet, and suddenly a fiery contrail enveloped him for a moment. When it dissipated, the Increm spell gave him extra power, and he felt invigorated. Using his new strength, he beat down both of his opponent's blades and cleaved them down the middle, cutting through their helmets and heads.

Drachma meanwhile had used his artificial arm as both shield and battering ram, blocking the weaker iron swords and counter-attacking with a speed that surprised the Valuans. He reached his free hand into his pocket and produced a Crystales crystal, throwing it to the ground and backing up. Not seeing the small magical object in the dark soil, one of his enemies stepped onto it, cracking it and releasing the power stored within. The man only had a second to wonder what was happening before his armored form was encased in magical ice.

Fina readied a third spell, but a lone assailant had turned to her. Charging up to her, she recoiled, expecting the sharp pain of his fatal strike any moment... but instead there was only the sound of his fluent cursing. She looked back and saw that Cupil had morphed into a shortsword, and had parried the blow. "Good job," She cheered on the small silver creature, and it chirped happily, beginning to duel ferociously with the trooper. It's small and nimble features made it an apt opponent, and it had soon made several large gouges in the impressive armor.

Agony ripped apart her back, as the redheaded Blue Rogue fell to her knees and cried out. A deep gash marked where the enemy's blade had found purchase, loosing pools of blood that flowed down over her clothing and dripped onto the ground. Aika found it impossible to move much, and she shook as the victorious men prepared to deliver her _coup de grace_. They both looked over, in time to see Vyse. He sliced them both in half, making clean cuts with his furious blades and sparing the life of her friend. The four disparate sections of Valuan soldier fell to the ground.

By now the dirt and seal were bathed in thin streams of blood, tinting the ancient Silvite designs across it's cover an odd color. Vyse knelt beside her and handed her two Sacres crystals out of his pouch before springing to his feet again, weapons ready to do more harm. Aika reached out and grabbed them, clutching them both close as they automatically released life-saving energies throughout her.

The old man had crushed in the face of his second foe, but the third one didn't look like he had the stomach for any more fight. The man who had been hit by the ice, Drachma's last enemy, and another Valuan were all that was left of their assailants. They backed up, into the center of the Great Seal, and tossed down their weapons. "We surrender!" The one in front cried, nursing a puncture wound on his arm.

"Hey, these guys are smarter than the ones back on the _Cygnus_," Aika said in disdain. She stood up, almost fully recovered. "Alright, tell us how to open the seal and we might let you scum live."

"W-what?! But that's impossible. Our entire Army couldn't remove that thing, so the Empress wasn't too concerned about it. At least it meant that the Yellow Crystal was safe from you all! Unlike us," He finished, looking down.

Vyse nodded. "Makes sense. But why isn't this area better defended? Where's the Armada's garrison fleet?"

"We had a bunch of ships around, but they've all been integrated into the strike force under Lord Galcian's direct command," He replied. "They're gearing up for the attack on Nasrad."

Aika gasped. "You're going to war with Nasr?"

"That's what they told us," The man replied. "I don't know much specifics, though, most of what I get is down the grapevine. I heard a couple other rumors about why we didn't get more reinforcements... supposedly everyone who isn't preparing to fight is hunting some big arcwale in a secondary task fleet."

"Arcwale?" There was no other word, except besides maybe using his target's proper name, to interest Drachma more. He walked a step closer, intent and energetic now. "Rhaknam's in Valua? Answer me, now!"

"That's just what I heard," The trooper answered, shrinking away slightly from the intimidating fisherman. "Um... some fog rolled in yesterday, and there were reports of a couple of squadrons being destroyed. Apparently it's causing an uproar at Command."

"Yesterday? He must still be in the area," He said. _This is the closest I've gotten to him since... the day I found those two, near the wreckage of that damn dinghy that blocked my shot... and got me into this whole mess._ As he turned to look Vyse in the eyes, the teenager saw a determination that was never there before. "Boy, I have to chase Rhaknam. I've been following you kids around, helping you hunt down the Moon Crystals... now it's your turn to follow me, and help me hunt Rhaknam."

Vyse saw little option. It was his friend's quest, and even though he was a cranky, rude, mysterious old man, Vyse still counted him as a friend who he owed his life to. He nodded and said, "Of course. We're with you all the way, sir." _Besides, it's not like the Yellow Crystal's going anywhere fast._

"Very well," Drachma nodded. "Then it's time for me to finally face him." Without looking back, he began to walk back up to the _Little Jack_. "You three, get out of here before I change my mind. Go tell your commanders that nobody's killin' that arcwale but _me_." The bewildered Valuans didn't need to be told twice, and retreated another directions as fast as their legs could carry them. The teenagers followed Drachma back to the ship, and boarded it.

They got into the sky, and the old man said, "Alright. Chasing after him won't do us much good, and I bet we're all exhausted. Let's find a good canyon and settle down in. We can lie in wait for him there, and pop out when he passes." Searching for a while, they came across a trench that suited their needs. "Bring us down, boy." The ship was soon nestled smugly, out of sight from the air. "Good." He turned to the teenagers. "Now, all three of you, get some rest. We'll need it for the fight."

0-0

Vyse had honestly tried, but the excitement and anxiety running through him precluded all sleep. After a long while of useless time spent waiting for a thing that would not come, he sat up and sighed. the engine beside his cot was silent, and the ship therefore seemed a lot quieter than usual. Getting to his feet, he wandered a bit around the ship, touring the place that had been his home for the last few weeks and reflecting on all that they had accomplished. They would soon go into battle with the monster that had tried to kill him and Aika... such a long time ago, from his perspective.

Eventually he found himself at the double-doors leading out onto the deck. He opened them, and saw a small lantern shining in the darkness. The large hunched figure of Drachma sat on a crate next to the lantern, looking down. "Captain..." He said quietly.

Drachma looked over his shoulder, his voice softer than it had ever been. "... Is that you, boy? What're you doin' up at this hour? You should be gettin' some rest."

Vyse approached him, his footsteps seeming louder compared to everything else because it was hushed. "I was about to say the same thing," He replied, a faint smile tracing across his lips. "It's the middle of the night." He noticed that Drachma held a small wooden box in his remaining hand, and blinked. "What's that?"

Drachma cast his gaze down to the box. "Hrmph." Looking back up, his face was not it's usual scowl, but a more vulnerable, gentler expression adorned his aged features. He offered the box to Vyse. "... Open it."

Vyse accepted the box, curiosity erasing any lingering thoughts of sleep. Opening it, he found inside a large pile of feathers, of many different colors. "It's full of..." He reached in, pulled one of them out, and held it up. It was orange, but tapered down to a blank white at the stem. "... feathers..."

"My son collects... used to collect those..."

He looked up again, surprised. "You had a son?"

The old man leaned back slightly, looking up over the crest of the trench they occupied, to the dark and clouded sky. "Aye... he was about the same age as you are right now. A long time ago, I used to run a fishing boat in North Ocean. My son loved sailing, he was gonna be a fisherman, just like his dad... he came out with us a lot on flights. His name was... Jack. He was a small boy, who loved to help out. The other sailors called him... Little Jack..." Vyse finally understood the meaning behind the fishing frigate's seemingly odd name. This kind of openness from the curmudgeonly captain was unprecedented, and he listened with all of his attention to his story.

"One day, we went out fishing as usual. Everything was goin' good. Then... then Rhaknam came. We didn't know how powerful he was, and we tried to fight him. But... there was no way a fishing boat stood a chance against him. He destroyed the ship, and I only barely survived." A single, lone tear fell from his eye, running it's way down Drachma's cheek. "But my crew... and Jack... weren't so lucky. Last time I saw Jack, he was clutching some feathers as he fell... like they'd stop him from falling...

"I can still... I can still hear him screaming, as he fell... fell into Deep Sky... and from that day, I swore I would take revenge on Rhaknam. For my crew, and for my son." He looked down, becoming emotional for the first time in a long while. "I need to kill him..."

He looked back towards Vyse and frowned. "Hrmph. I'm gettin' long winded in my old age. Boy... don't let it bother you. This is my problem."

Vyse was speechless. He had never known, and the story moved him as well. He continued to stare down at the box of feathers, and could only manage to say, "Captain..." The air began to get a little thicker, and he looked up to find a swirling fog that thickened each second, much faster than natural mists would. "This fog... could it be?"

Drachma stood up, turning around and staring into the sky. "Boy, go wake the others. It's him... Rhaknam is here." Vyse nodded, closing the box and handing it back to his captain. He turned and ran inside the ship, headed for the room that Fina and Aika shared.

The old man clenched both his fists, feeling his destiny drawing nearer. _All those years... and the time has finally come. Rhaknam, one of us will die today... this I swear, in the name of Little Jack._

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


End file.
